Percy Jackson: Against the Ocean
by NAAFP
Summary: The Titans have been defeated, but there are still some with grudges against the gods. Takes place after the 5th book. Rated T to be safe; could be K plus.
1. Chapter 1

**Read, review, but mostly en joy.**

**Disclaimer: I may or may not be RR. Probably not. Okay, no. **

Half-blood dreams suck. I mean, okay, they're useful, but that's only because they inform you on all the awful stuff happening in your life. I almost never like my dreams, but I've learned to use them to my advantage a lot.

Last summer, however, started off with a dream I never wanted to - or thought I could - see. My dad was in chains. Poseidon, the all powerful, immortal, restless god of the sea was being held in chains in a dark dungeon. I've seen gods held captive before, but the really scary thing about the dream was the fact that he was being held underwater. Don't ask me how I know, probably some freaky son of Poseidon sense, but I could tell that we were in the ocean. I could feel the water moving around me even though I was in a dream. I didn't think there was any way that someone would capture my dad, let alone in his own territory, but there he was.

And he looked terrible. He looked...old. And I know he was old, but he was also immortal so he never looked it. But now his beard was longer and white instead of black. He looked paler than normal and frail. Instead of his normal Bermuda shorts and fisherman's shirt he wore heavy Greek armor. If I hadn't known who he was, I would have been surprised to see him be able to lift the armor because of how frail he looked.

My dad looked up and caught my eye. His own eyes widened with...fear? He looked at me so definitively that I had to look down to see if I was actually standing in the room. Big mistake. I'd never actually thought about my body during dreams before, but there was nothing there when I looked down. I was basically just a floating pair of eyes. I grimaced at that thought and looked back at my dad. He was still looking at me, and I realized he must be able to sense that I was there- or I was dreaming about it anyways.

Just as I was about to say something and see if he could hear me, he spoke to me. "Perseus, don't. Don't come. He's too strong." I was about to ask what he meant when a voice resonated throughout the room. The voice was filled with power and seems to whirl around the room as chaotically as the ocean itself. The voice spoke forcefully. "He's right of course, Perseus. I'm much too strong for a god to defeat, let alone for you. But knowing you and your fatal flaw, you will foolishly try anyways. I will enjoy your death soon enough. Now, wake, and enjoy yourself for a little longer."

I woke up with a start. I breathed heavily as I thought about my dream. It was rare that anyone was able to sense when I was dreaming about them, but two people in one dream? That's just unfair. I mean, a demigod has to have some advantage right?

A knock on the door forced me to stop thinking and get up. I walked over to the door and threw it open ready for some bad news about my dream, but there was no one there except for a girl from the Aphrodite cabin. I think her name was Claire.

"Good morning Percy," Claire said brightly. "You're looking good today."

I looked down and realized I was shirtless, wearing only a pair of khaki shorts. My hair was probably also messed up, but I didn't really concern myself with that. Then again, I never did. "Oh, umm... Let me go put a shirt on really quick." I said as I blushed furiously.

Claire pouted cutely. "Well there's no need for that! I just have to deliver a quick message anyways. Chiron wants to see you in the Big House."

I sighed mentally. Maybe I still would get some bad news about my dream.

My face still a little red, I thanked Claire and closed the door. When I was sure she had gone down the steps I changed into my regular jeans and camp t-shirt and jogged down to the Big House.


	2. Chapter 2

**Read, review, but mostly enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't anyone or anything in this story. Except for Claire. But you can keep her.**

I knocked on the door of the Big House and Chiron opened it almost immediately.  
"Ah, Percy, you're here," he said.

I walked in the room and looked around. It was the first I'd been there that summer, but barely anything had changed. The only difference was that Mr. D had apparently installed one of those old arcade-style Pac-man machines in there to play when he got bored. It looked well used, so either Mr. D got it from someone else or he got bored a lot. My guess is the latter.

I walked in the next room and saw all my friends gathered around our usual formal meeting place- the ping pong table. I smiled at Annabeth and sat down. Chiron followed me into the room and stood at the head of the table. It seemed rude to make him stand, but Chiron didn't mind and there wasn't a chair (except for his wheelchair) that he could actually sit in anyways.  
Chiron glanced at Annabeth and she nodded and stood up.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here, so I'll try to get to the point," she said nervously. I was a little mad, I'm not going to lie. Annabeth was my girlfriend and she didn't bother to tell me what was going on? It seemed a little harsh, considering all that we had gone through together. Especially when what was going on involved my father.  
"I don't want to worry you, but something is happening. Something bad."

"Annabeth, make that a little clearer, please." Chiron said. Everyone else around the table, myself included, nodded our agreement.

Annabeth stared me dead in the eye, and to be honest, the eyes of the blonde girl from Virginia scared me worse than the eyes of the immortal god of the sea that I had seen in my dreams.  
"Fine. The ocean is no longer safe." Annabeth declared.

I jumped to my feet. "What!" I exclaimed. I know that I really should have figured it out from my dream, but the ocean was my turf. I'd always felt at home in the ocean, and I'd definitely always felt safe there. To be told that it was no longer safe was almost like telling someone they could never go home again because it wasn't safe.

I looked around and realized that everyone was staring at me. My face flushed red and I slowly sat down and gestured weakly for Annabeth to continue. Annabeth bit her lip to keep herself from laughing and turned to the rest of the group.

"The spirits of the oceans that Poseidon was fighting before the Titan war were never defeated," she began. "Poseidon abandoned his palace to them to help the gods win the battle against Typhon. Once the ocean spirits heard that Kronos had lost the war, they slunk back under the ocean. We forgot about them, but they didn't forget about us. Poseidon has been kidnapped. Oceanus is rising."

My heart was pounding. My dream was true. Poseidon had been captured, and the voice that I heard must have been Oceanus. I felt fear, but stronger than that, I felt anger. I was sick of these gods and Titans toying with me. I was sick of them taking the people that I was close to. I was ready to go out there and kick some Titan ass. I stood up and waited until I had the room's full attention. Everyone had begun talking after Annabeth's announcement, but I just waited for the voices to die down.

I cleared my throat. "Oceanus has invaded my father's domain, and to an extent, my domain. I'm ready to lead a quest to free my father and get back the ocean. Oceanus made this personal."  
"Percy, maybe you should think about this. You recently led a battle against the Titans to save Olympus, so maybe you should take a break. A hero's strength breaks if he isn't well rested, and because you have the curse of Achilles, your strength is greater than a normal hero's." Chiron said carefully.

"Chiron, I am the son of Poseidon. Who is more qualified to lead a quest into the ocean? Besides, I had a dream come to me last night. I'm sure that I'm supposed to be on this quest." I neglected to tell Chiron that in my dream, my dad specifically told me NOT to go on the quest.  
I honestly couldn't tell if Chiron was disappointed or pleased that I had decided to continue with the quest. "Very well then," he said. "Still, you have to confirm it with one other person first." He stepped back from the doorway and Rachel Elizabeth Dare entered the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**I know that this is the first time I have included and author's note, but it is the first time I've felt like I've really needed to. **

**I am going to try and finish this story regardless of how many reviews I get. However, I would love it if you could review it, and it DOES make me post faster. For example, I finished this up – the third chapter in one day – after the first review. So, I would like to thank ReganRose for the review and everyone else should thank her for the chapter.**

**I am extremely busy this week with school, but lacrosse season just ended so I should be able to update fairly frequently. Remember, more reviews means more chapters!**

Rachel walked into the room in a good mood. Well, it looked like it anyways, especially considering that she had just heard that the entire ocean is now basically fighting against us.

"Hey Percy! Hey Annabeth!" she said brightly as she came in. She looked the same as always- she wore faded jeans with doodles all over the place and a Harvard shirt. The only difference - as far as I could tell - was that instead of just drawings on her jeans, she had begun some sentences and phrases in Ancient Greek. Probably one of the side effects of being the new Oracle.

We both said hello to her, but after that it was a little awkward. No one in the room except for Chiron had ever asked a living Oracle for a prophecy before. I turned to Chiron.

"Umm... How exactly does this work?"

Chiron smiled at me. "Same as always; just ask her a question."  
I nervously turned towards Rachel. She just winked at me and said in her normal voice "Approach, seeker, and ask."  
I stepped in from of her and got ready to ask. I've never really been good at asking these questions. Trust me, it's a lot harder to make a question seem sophisticated and dramatic when you're on the spot. Annabeth gave me a nod of encouragement and I opened my mouth to speak.  
"How do we defeat Oceanus?" Huh. Not bad by my standards. Still, I'm sure Annabeth could have made the question seem a lot better. I waited for Rachel to respond.  
"Oh, I have absolutely no idea," Rachel shrugged her shoulders. I stared at her. "What?" she said, "I don't control the oracle! I'm sure it will answer eventually. Just give it a minute."  
I looked at Chiron. "Does this usually happen?" I asked him.  
He nodded. "Of course. I remember one time, the deadline of the prophecy we got had already come to pass by the time the oracle bothered to actually tell it to us. Made it rather hard to try and complete, but we worked around it."

"What did you do?" asked Clarisse. It was the first time she had spoken all day, which was unusual for her.  
Chiron winked at her. "We interpreted the prophecy to mean the deadline of the next year. It was actually a very leisurely quest." He laughed along with the rest of us.  
Mid-laugh, Rachel started to choke. A bunch of us rushed over to help her but she looked up before we could do anything. Her voice became different. The oracle was taking over. Green smoke didn't spew out of her mouth, but I could tell she was different. She opened her mouth to speak.

_To a place down under 5 shall go, _

_To the watery depths and even below._

_Withstand the rage of the ocean strong, _

_Daughter of strength will not go wrong._

Rachel fell over, unconscious, but Chiron caught her before she hit the ground. He looked annoyed.

"We really should get someone to follow her around with a mattress or something if she is going to be spouting prophecies all day long," he muttered.

"Chiron? More important issue right now…" Annabeth said.

"You're right my dear. I apologize." He set Rachel down in a chair until she woke up.

I looked around the room. Five of us will go underwater to try and defeat Oceanus. Key word there is try.

"So… who wants to go on a life threatening quest with little chance of success and survival?" I asked. There was silence around the room. Very encouraging to a leader.

Finally Travis Stoll broke the silence. "Clarisse should definitely go. I mean, daughter of strength? Who else could that be?" The rest of the group murmured agreement and I was secretly relieved. Clarisse would be a good person to have on a quest. After seeing her slay that drakon, no one would deny that she was indeed the daughter of strength.

I looked up at Clarisse, but before I could formally ask her, Rachel woke up with a bang. Literally; she fell off the chair into the floor.

"Wha' happened?" she asked from the floor. Annabeth repeated the prophecy word for word to her and Rachel nodded.

"So what have we decided so far? Who is going?" she asked.

"Clarisse is, seeing as she is the daughter of Ares. Strength is one of his major traits." Chiron answered.

"Yeah, strength and ego," I muttered under my breath. I looked at Clarisse and tried to speak formally.

"Clarisse, daughter of Ares, will you accompany me on my quest to the ocean to defeat Oceanus and free my father?" I asked. Before I was even done with the sentence she was shaking her head no.

No?


	4. Chapter 4

**I just realized that I completely forgotten to do a disclaimer. I don't own PJO, in case anyone was wondering. **

**Also, I know that the story hasn't really had much action yet. That's why I'm trying to update quickly; just give me some time.**

**Other than that, enjoy.**

No? How could Clarisse say no? She was a daughter of the freaking god of war! She was supposed to love quests and killing and hunting and the lovely things that normal people don't really enjoy doing. Besides, the prophecy mentioned a daughter of strength. Why would she refuse to go when we needed her most?

"Clarisse, please explain yourself." Chiron said. He seemed to be trying to restrain himself from getting mad. I'm sure heroes have pissed him off a ton in the past because seemed pretty good at it.

Clarisse just shook her head again. "Ares has no love for Poseidon. And I have no love for Percy." Well, I'll give her that one. She continued. "I've worked with Percy before only out of necessity, and often times it was against my will. So, no. I refuse to accompany you on the quest."

I honestly think that every at the ping pong table was stunned, but Chiron recovered first of course. "Very well then," he said. "we must consider our next option. The prophecy might mean a daughter of strength in something other than physical strength."

Katie from Demeter cabin was the first to catch on. "You mean... Mental strength? As in, Annabeth?" Once again, I was grateful. I knew that Annabeth was going to say yes. Besides, she did kind of fit into the prophecy.

I smiled at her and really talked to her for the first time that day. "Annabeth, want to come with me to rescue to my dad?"

She looked up and responded easily. "No."

"What!" I protested. I guess the look on my face was pretty hilarious, because she burst out laughing.

"Kidding," she laughed. "Of course I'll go with you." That is what I get for having an evil genius for a girlfriend. This time Chiron didn't even pretend not to laugh. "Well that takes care of two of the five," he said. "Percy and Annabeth will go. Who else will go, Percy?"

I looked at all of the campers. I needed more time to think. "Give me until the end of the day, Chiron. I'll have everyone picked out by then." I promised. He sighed. "Very well, my boy. But you must leave tomorrow morning if we are to have a chance to save the world: again. On that cheery note, I believe it is about time for lunch." Right at that moment, the conch shell blew and everyone filed out of the room to go eat.

I was walking out when someone grabbed my wrist. I spun around to see Annabeth. "I haven't seen you at all this summer," she complained. "Let's eat lunch together!"

I smiled. "Wise Girl, as much as I would love to eat lunch with you, we're not allowed to sit at each other's table." She pouted as I continued. "So, why don't we have lunch at the beach instead? I need some time to think and I think there best anyways."

Annabeth poked me in the stomach. "You? Thinking? Don't scare me like that. Leave the planning to me." I grinned slyly at her. "Oh really, leave the planning to you? Well, I think our last chess game would prove differently!"

Annabeth laughed and proved me wrong, our normal routine. "Percy, our total chess match score is like 99 to 1."

"But I didn't know how to play for the first few games!"

"Okay," she relented. "96 to 1."

"Point taken."

"Good," she said. "Now let's go down to the beach and get some of the seaweed out of your head."

We walked down to the beach with some food we found. We spread it out and sat down in the sand. After we finished our sandwiches, I looked at Annabeth.  
"So, Wise Girl, who should come with us on the quest?" I asked.

"Ideally, I would have liked for Clarisse to come, but that's not happening. So I have another idea."

"Of course you do," I said.

"I think we should take Travis and Connor Stoll." She rushed on before I would object. "Think about it Percy. Your dad is locked up. Who better to steal him away from Oceanus than the sons of the god of thieves?"

The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. "You know, you're a lot like your mom in some ways." I said.

"Oh really? How so?" She asked as she leaned in close to hear my reply.

"You're smart, and you're pretty damn hard to argue with."

She leaned it so that our lips were almost touching. "You know it," she whispered. We both moved about half an inch towards each other and kissed.

I missed Annabeth during the school year when I barely saw her. But moments like this made it worth it.

Except when they get broken up by a giant wave.

A huge wave landed on us and broke us apart. Luckily, I was holding onto Annabeth and my "son of the sea god" powers had momentarily extended to her, so we were both dry. But the shock of it was still annoying, and it got even weirder when we looked towards the beach where the wave had come from.

Lying there, face down in the sand, were two familiar figures.

**Reviews would be great on this chapter especially. Even very short ones. Thank you, I hope you enjoyed it.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: It's a good thing you bothered to check, because this time I own PJO. Not really, I'm sure RR's lawyers would never let that happen.**

Annabeth and I ran over to the two people on the ground just as they were getting up. The first one was Tyson due to his size.

"Tyson!" Annabeth and I both practically yelled. Right after I did that, I took a few steps back. I loved the big guy, but his hugs could crush Kronos without even really trying.

"Annabeth! Brother!" Tyson exclaimed as he rushed in to hug us. Good thing I thought ahead. Her reached her first and wrapped her in a vice like grip. He squeezed her as she struggled to breathe. "Tyson... I thi-think Percy needs a hug too," she managed to choke out.

Tyson smiled and put Annabeth down on her feet. "Okay!" he exclaimed happily. He ran over to me and grabbed me before I could get away. It was a lot like being crushed by a mechanical vice. "I missed you, brother." Tyson said. "I missed you too Tyson." I said with what little air I had left in my lungs. "And if you want me around for much longer, you should probably put me down."

Tyson put me back on my feet and gulped down a breath of fresh air. Truth be told, I felt a little guilty regarding Tyson. He has gone to Dad's underwater palace to work at the forges there, but I hadn't even thought about him since I'd heard that Poseidon was captured.

But now that Tyson was here, it gave me a good idea. Tyson was a son of Poseidon like me. Who was better to go on the quest? Being underwater wouldn't bother him in the slightest, and he was a very handy person- well, Cyclops- to have on a quest.

I turned to Tyson. "Hey big guys, how would you like to go on a quest with me and Annabeth?" Annabeth looked like she was surprised that I actually had a good idea, but before she could voice her opinion, Tyson responded.

"Oh, yes! We can have fun with Annabeth and make things go BOOM!" he emphasized his point by clapping his hands hard enough to scare a few birds in the trees in the forest next to us.

"Yeah," I said. "It'll be just like old times."

Tyson frowned. "But Percy," he said. "How will Annabeth breathe under the water?"

Shoot.

Tyson had found a minor flaw (okay, major) in our plan almost immediately. That didn't bode well for the quest. The second guy that had washed up spoke for the first time that night.

"I think I can help with that."

Everyone there turned to him. I knew he looked familiar, but I couldn't place him. Which is really odd, considering his appearance. He wasn't the guy who you forgot after meeting. This was largely due to the fact that his skin was green. He had long dark black hair pulled back into a ponytail. He was wearing a blue-green bathing suit. His overall appearance was that of a hippie who had taken things a little too far.

"Remember me, Percy?" he asked with a smile. "Or is it a little hard without the two mermaid tails?" The second he said that, I knew who he was.

"You're Triton. My... brother."

"That's one way to describe me, I guess. Prince of the sea is the one that I prefer, however."

Annabeth was being uncharacteristically quiet. That is, until she completely took over the conversation.

"Tyson. Triton. What happened to Poseidon?"

Triton turned on her. "Speak with more respect, young lady. Don't you realize you're talking to-" But Tyson cut him off by rattling off a long story about how Oceanus captured Dad.

Apparently, it had been a normal day of rebuilding after the war. Tyson had been leading a group of Cyclops repair the game room when all of a sudden there was a cold current that passed through the entire palace.

Poseidon turned his head. A swarm of monsters that Tyson had never even heard of came out of nowhere, along with some that had. Poseidon had tried to reach his trident - his symbol of power - but before he could, Oceanus had cut him off.

Tyson had a hard time describing what Oceanus had looked like, and Triton wasn't much better. Tyson described him as looking "bad" and Triton helpfully added "really bad." I was beginning to see why sons of Poseidon got nicknames like Seaweed Brain and Kelp Head.

Anyways, Poseidon and Oceanus had fought for a few minutes, but Oceanus had the element of surprise and Poseidon was without his symbol of power. However, Tyson said that Poseidon still vaporized half of Oceanus's army and put up a spectacular battle, with Oceanus barely striking him down after a telekhine had had gotten a lucky stab.

Despite my annoyance with my father sometimes, I was proud hearing that he didn't go down without a fight. A lot like myself.

Tyson said he would have helped Poseidon, but he was in the middle of his own battle. He was the only Cyclops who had been able to escape after the battle - the rest of them had been taken captive by Oceanus.

Annabeth sighed. "That's not a good. With the Cyclops held captive, Oceanus could force them to forge weapons for him- anything that he wants." I nodded my agreement and turned to Triton.

"Where were you when you should have been helping Dad?"

He looked at me distatstefuy. "I was at the other end of the palace, kid. Dad trusts me enough to let me lead some of his army."

I turned away. "Whatever. Now, what did you mean you know how to help Annabeth breathe underwater? And can you do that with the other kids we have coming on the quest?"

He looked like it should have been obvious. "Duh. Bring them all here tomorrow morning."

"Why wait?" Annabeth asked him. "We could leave tonight and get a head start!"

"I don't trust the sea right now. Do you really want to go down there at night when Oceanus would throw anything he wanted to at us?"

"I guess not." Annabeth muttered. I silently agreed with them. I wouldn't really like to face the monsters of Oceanus without at least a good nights sleep. "Fine," she said. "Let's go talk to Chiron, Percy. He needs to know what's going on." As we started walking off, I turned to Tyson. "Tyson, come with us." I called. "There is still plenty of room in the Poseidon cabin."

He grinned like crazy as he jogged after us. Triton looked at us one more time, then shook his head and walked back into the ocean.


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, I finally got to write in some action. Hope you enjoy it! Also, I might not be able to update tomorrow due to what should be an illegal amount of homework. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story; I truly appreciate it. This is my longest chapter yet!**

**Disclaimer: So I gave Rick Riordan a call, asking if I could own PJO. He just laughed; didn't even bother to answer. Does it sound like a yes to anyone else?**

When we got back to the main part of camp, everyone had already finished lunch and was already continuing on with their normal activities. Went into the Big House to see Chiron and tell him what had happened and our decision about who we would take on the quest with us.

Chiron was fine with having the Stolls come along, but he didn't let us leave until he had given us his advice.

"Be careful with Triton," he cautioned. "Immortals always have their own agenda. Also, he has little reason to like you, Percy." That I can understand. I wasn't how I felt about him being my brother either.

We left to go ask the Stolls to come with us on the quest while Tyson went back to the Poseidon cabin. We knocked on the Hermes cabin and Travis opened the door. At least, I think it was Travis. I honestly just guess half the time I call them by name.

"Hey Travis," Annabeth said. "We were wondering if you and Connor would come with us to rescue Poseidon."

He blinked in surprise. "Children of Hermes don't usually get asked to go on quests. We're not exactly considered the most talented bunch."

"Nah, people usually use words like 'lazy' and 'devious' when they want to describe us." Connor had come up behind Travis without anyone noticing.

I almost mentioned Luke, seeing as he had been a very talented son of Hermes. However, I didn't want to bring him up with Annabeth still here. Some wounds run too deep to heal, even if he had died a hero.

"So you'll come with us then?" I asked.

They looked at each and grinned.

"Of course," they said together.

"We'd love a chance to really stick it to a Titan." Connor said while Travis grinned wickedly. I smiled with them. Sounds like my kind of thinking.

We told them we would leave in the morning and that they should meet us at the beach. They both frowned in confusion. "Are we going directly underwater?" Travis asked. "How are we going to breathe?" Connor inquired.

Annabeth and I both shrugged. "We have a... friend who's going to take care of that." I said.

They still looked a little confused, but they nodded and headed back inside.

I actually slept well that night. No dreams whatsoever. Weird right? Apparently the gods thought that they bad let me off too easily, because the next morning started off pretty bad.

At first, everything seemed fine. I woke up early to meet Annabeth and the Stolls at the Big House before we walked down to the ocean. Everything was fine before we actually got down to the beach to get started on our quest. Then, out of nowhere, a giant monster emerged from the water and attacked.

The thing – whatever it was – was quick. I barely had time to roll away before its head crashed into the sand next to me. It pulled its head up and roared, which sounded like a cross between a dragon roaring and a strange gurgling sound. The scary thing wasn't the sound, though; it was the monster itself. I got a good look at it as it was roaring.

Its head looked like that of a giant lizard. It had green scales and red beady eyes that scared me- they looked intimidating and intelligent, which is not a good combination for demigods. It had a thin membrane of skin stretched around several bones jutting out of its neck. It had two sharp front teeth that were about half as tall I was, and then about a hundred more teeth about the length of my forearms. It had the body of a snake that was as thick as a small car. Down its body a little ways, it had two arms sticking out with long razor sharp claws at the end. I couldn't see how long the entire thing was because the rest of it was hidden underwater.

Overall, it was pretty terrifying.

"Cetus!" Annabeth yelled. Of course she would know what it was. "Perseus killed it!"

I blinked in surprise. I felt like I would have remembered killing something like that, but nothing was coming to mind. At least that would have explained why it seemed to be so angry. Then realization slowly dawned on me. Annabeth must have meant the old Perseus, the one from all the myths. Good; I didn't like her calling me by my real name anyways.

Cetus went in for another big hit. This time it branched its hand out to try and grab the Stolls and Annabeth while its head still came straight at me. I uncapped Riptide and dove to one side, swinging Riptide at its neck. It was fast, but I still got a pretty good hit it. However, its scaled acted as armor and Riptide barely did anything.

I got up out of my roll and looked back at my friends. Tyson, the only one that Cetus hadn't tried to kill so far, was throwing whatever he could find at the monster- rocks, sticks, and even what looked like a tire. I have absolutely no idea how that got on beach. Travis and Connor seemed to have split up to avoid being hit by the giant hand and were busy drawing their weapons. They both carried short swords that wouldn't really do much against Ceres.

I turned to Annabeth to see if she had a plan on how to kill this thing, but she was gone. Then I noticed for the first time that the monster had grabbed Annabeth in its hand and was holding her up to the skies.

"BAD!" Tyson bellowed and threw a huge boulder at Cetus. It hit the arm that was holding Annabeth and Cetus lowered its arm in surprise. Before it could react and crush Tyson, I ran over to the arm and sliced off a claw. The good thing was, Cetus dropped Annabeth on the sand where she stood up and tried to slash at him with her knife. The bad news was that Annabeth's knife didn't do much, so I was helpless when the monster grabbed me and tried to carry me off instead of Annabeth.

I moved around until I got my sword arm free with Riptide in it. I took a huge cut at the small amount of skin that was without scales- the underside of the hand. Cetus tossed me away, raring with anger. But now, we were in the ocean. Even with Poseidon gone, this was still my territory.

I willed a wave to rise up and catch me. My landing was a lot softer than it should have been, but I didn't complain. The wave carried me onto Cetus's back and I ran up the thing, my shoes getting traction on the rough scales. I got to the base of the neck before Cetus got fed up with me and tried to throw me off.

I could feel the muscles underneath me coiling, getting ready to launch me off of the monster. I made my move quickly. I stabbed Riptide down at the base of the neck, where there were no scales- the chink in the huge monster's armor. I was thrown off as Cetus roared again, but this time with pain.

The waves caught me just in time to see Travis throw something into Cetus open mouth as it roared in pain. It looked like a dagger, but what good would that do against a monster that could use Riptide as a toothpick?

Suddenly Cetus looked panicked. I understood why a second later. Cetus burst into flames and disintegrated into the powder of a dead monster. The wave I was still standing on pushed me to the shore and I collapsed, not realizing how tired I'd been controlling the water and fighting Cetus at the same time.

When I stood up I looked at Travis questioningly. He shrugged. "Every child of Hermes should have a few tricks up their sleeves. Mine just happened to be a dagger with a glass container of Greek fire set in the handle. Connor grinned and literally lifted up his sleeve to show me an identical knife strapped to his arm.

I shook my head. Maybe the Stolls would prove a lot more useful than I had thought.

Then I heard the slow sound of clapping as the silhouette of a man appeared against the sun.


	7. Chapter 7

**To ****pengwinluva4: Thank you for the review! In answer your question, I think I have a quote from the fourth book that should satisfy you. "Glass jars of green oil – Greek fire – lined on shelf." This is when they are in Daedalus's workshop. Thanks again! **

**Everyone else, enjoy. Please read and review. I know I said I might not upload today, but I actually wrote this last night. That deserves something, right?**

**Disclaimer: No me llamo Rick. No soy Rick Riordan.**

It was Triton.

The stupid jerk was just standing there, clapping at us like we were an interesting performance that he had just watched. He was the immortal prince of the sea, and he had refused to come help us fight a sea monster. I was pissed.

My tiredness forgotten, I willed some of the water to rise behind me. At least several hundred gallons of water was churning in the air. I was just about to hurl it at Triton when he raised his left hand and a felt a sudden pushing sensation on the water. Triton was trying to push the water back down into the ocean. I resisted as best I could, but he was too strong right now. The water fell back down.

Triton moved closer to us and I could see his green eyes reflecting the light of the morning sun. "Impressive," he called out. "I didn't know that you were that strong."

I ignored him. "Why didn't you help us?" I asked, barely containing my anger. Annabeth put her hand on my shoulder. I realized what she was doing and took a deep breath to calm down.

Triton just shook his head. "Immortals do not like to interfere in the lives of mortals, even demigods," he began. "And besides, why would I want to help you kill a monster that I set on you?"

I lost it.

"You set that damn thing on us?" I yelled. Annabeth took her hand off my shoulder. All four of my friends looked mad as well.

"We could have died!" Annabeth chimed in.

Triton turned his gaze from me to her. "Daughter of Athena, is it? You're going to have to be quicker with those battle strategies if you are planning to survive this quest." Annabeth flushed red and I realized that this one of the only times that I had ever seen her without a plan.

"Leave her out of this," I said, balling my fists. "We were talking about you. You tried to kill us!"

"I tried to test you," Triton corrected. He turned to the rest of the group. Travis, Connor, and Tyson had been quiet but I could tell they were all pissed. I was willing to bet that Travis and Connor were already planning ways to get Triton back, despite the fact that he was an immortal.

"You will encounter monsters much worse than this one on our quest," he began. "I refuse to accompany anyone but worthy heroes, but luckily you have passed. You have proved yourselves worthy. Besides, a little practice never hurt anyone."

I looked down at cuts Annabeth and I had received from being held in Cetes' claws. They weren't deep or serious, but it still counted as being hurt. "Well, a little practice never seriously maimed anyone," Triton amended. "Now come on. We have an ocean to save."

Annabeth stepped in from of Triton before he could take a step. She still looked angry from the "little practice". "Triton, you know that Connor, Travis, and I can't breathe underwater. You said that you could help us. Now would be a good time."

When she said his name, Triton mumbled "_Lord_ Triton to you…", but he said it under his breath. I guess he saw how angry Annabeth was. Out loud to everyone, he said "Very well. Gather in front of me please." The Stolls and Annabeth stood in front of him.

He raised his left hand and began chanting in Ancient Greek. I distinctly felt magic radiating off of his hand and over my friends' heads. He finished chanting and everyone was still for a moment.

"Anyone feel any different?" asked Travis. Annabeth and Connor just shook their heads. Triton grinned. "That was the blessing of the ocean," he said. "Go on, try it out."

Annabeth looked suspicious, but they all walked out into the surf. Suddenly, a wave come out of nowhere and broke over them. They were all submerged underwater.

I was about to run in there after them, but I noticed Triton had his left had raised and was laughing. I turned on him, but he just smiled innocently and said "What? I was just having a little fun. They needed go under anyway, and they'll come out in a second."

He was right. All three of them popped up at almost exactly the same time and came back on shore, looking slightly miffed at how they had been sent underwater.

"Annabeth," Tyson said. "You are dry!" I looked at her and realized he was right. In fact, all three of them looked like they had just spent an hour out in the sun, minus the tanness.

"What was it like?" I asked them. Connor responded for them all. "It was awesome! We could breathe completely normally. The water didn't even feel cold!"

"Yea, and now we don't have to worry about drying our clothes," his brother added.

But it was Annabeth who had noticed the one thing that I never had. "The weirdest thing was," she said. "We could walk completely normally. It was just like being on land."

I had never really thought about it before, but I realized that she was right. Every time I tried to walk on the bottom of the ocean, the water never slowed me down. I just kept on going like it was land, even though I could swim normally.

"Yay!" Tyson exclaimed. "Quest will be easy now!"

_Yea right, _I thought. _No way I'm ever that lucky._

Triton faked a yawn. "If you guys are done talking, it would be just peachy if we could pop into the water for a minute and maybe try to save the world."

I guess we all realized he was right, because we stopped talking and started walking towards the ocean. Right before we took our first step into the water, I looked back at Camp Half-Blood. It was depending on me.

Right where Triton had been standing earlier in the sun, I saw another silhouette. This one, however, had the body of horse and the chest of a man. Chiron.

I grinned and gave Chiron a mock military salute, putting the side of my hand to my head and snapping it off. He responded easily with the same motion, then galloped off into the distance.

I turned back towards the water. My friends were waiting for me. I looked at them for a second, and then we all took our first step into the water. We walked until the water was waist deep, and then came to a sharp drop off in the water. If we took one more step, our bodies would be submerged completely. We took the step and sank to the bottom of the watery depths.

And there was no going back.


	8. Chapter 8

**Read, review, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Until I find the loophole in RR's contract, (and trust me: there is one), I do not own PJO.**

I opened my eyes and looked around. I was used to being underwater, so it wasn't too amazing to me.

However, Annabeth, Travis, and Connor looked stunned. They viewed their surrounding with amazement. I smiled to myself. This must have been what it was like for me the first time I had gone underwater knowing about my powers. It really is an incredible experience.

Suddenly I heard a voice in my head. Everyone else besides Triton recoiled with surprise, so I guess they must have heard it too. _Are we done sightseeing? _The voice asked sarcastically. _Good, the let's continue._

_Was it Triton talking? _I wondered. _How can I hear him in my head?_

I saw Triton roll his eyes at me. _All people blessed with the gift of the ocean are able to communicate in their minds. Were you expecting this to be a completely silent quest?_

I flushed red as I realized that everyone in the group was hearing my thoughts. But I guess it worked both ways, because I was hearing random thoughts about a peanut butter sandwich.

It was Tyson's turn to blush. _Sorry, _he mumbled. _I am hungry._

_Percy, _I heard Annabeth's voice in my head next. _Concentrate on blocking your thoughts. That way, we can only hear them if you want us to._

I gave it a try and it worked pretty well. We started off and walked for about a hundred feet before Travis had a question.

_Umm Percy? _He asked tentatively. _Where exactly are we going?_

I froze. I realized that I had absolutely no idea. How the hell were we supposed to fight Oceanus if we didn't know where he was?

However, Triton just snorted. _Where do you think? Poseidon's palace of course. After Oceanus defeated our forces, he set up his own court there._

Annabeth nodded like she already knew that. _It makes sense, _she said. _That way he already has a dungeon to hold his enemies and he can control the center of Poseidon's domain._

Glad that we finally figured out where we going, we headed off. I vaguely remembered Tyson giving direction to someone on how to find the forges of the Cyclops, which was near Dad's palace. I was pretty sure that the first place we were going to was to a coral reef somewhere in the ocean; not that that really narrowed it down. Anyway, all we had to do was follow Triton and Tyson since they knew where were going.

Now if you've never taken a stroll in the bottom of the ocean before, I definitely recommend it. It's beautiful when it is light enough to see. The water is a clear, bright blue. The sand at the bottom forms in all sorts of odd shapes and hills. The rocks may not have been as colorful as some of the ones that I've seen in fish tanks, but they were interesting nonetheless. There were multicolored fish swimming all around us. Some of them stopped to chat with me and Triton, but they quickly swam away when Tyson tried to grab them.

I decided to ask Triton a question that had been on my mind for awhile. _Triton,_ I said nervously._ If you're an immortal god, then why are you coming with us on the quest? Isn't it against the ancient laws for you to help us?_

Triton was silent for a long time before answering. Finally he began. _The ocean is part of me, _he said. _It is my source of power and protection. But more than that, it is my home. I refuse to let anyone – even a Titan- take it from me. And Oceanus has captured my Father and weakened him. For that, he must pay. _

_Of course, _he continued. _If anyone asks, I am not really helping you on the quest. I am merely walking next to you coincidentally. Besides, do you know how much simpler I could make this?_

_What do you mean?_ Connor asked.

Triton rolled his eyes. _When demigods want help on a quest, they pray to the gods, correct? _He went on without waiting for anyone's answer. _Maybe if you asked me for some help, I would give it to you._

Annabeth eyed him suspiciously, but I heard her thoughts ring out into the ocean. _Triton, prince of the sea, help us on our quest._

Triton gave an exaggerated sigh of relief. _Finally! _He let out a long, piercing whistle and almost immediately I saw five shapes making their way towards us through the oceany haze.

I heard Tyson cry out with joy. I looked closer at the objects and realized that they looked familiar.

The five hippocampi zoomed towards us and I recognized Rainbow, Tyson's favorite, swimming up to him and nuzzling him. The other four hippocampi didn't look quite as happy, but they like me because I was still a son of Poseidon.

The Stolls, Annabeth, and I were all about to jump on one of our hippocampus when Triton voice entered into my mind.

_What do you say? _He asked smugly.

I turned to him and saw that his legs had been replaced with the tail of a mermaid. _Thank you, _I muttered, and the others followed suit.

He kept right on grinning. _You should have thought this awhile ago, _he told us all. _We could be so much farther along that we are!_

I just ignored and climbed on to my hippocampus. We rode off into the distance, with only a few minor falls from Connor. He had never been a great pegasus rider, and riding a hippocampus isn't exactly the easiest thing in the world to do anyway.

After about twenty minutes of solid riding, two falls, and about two hundred curses (mostly from Connor, but I'll admit I had a few when Tyson nearly knocked me off), we arrived at a familiar place. This was the place where I had recognized Bessie a few years ago. There was the same shipwreck and fishing net that I had cut Bessie out of.

I felt a presence. I can't describe it exactly, but it was almost like a disturbance in the peaceful ocean. I tensed, and suddenly, out of the wreckage of the ship, burst five large creatures swimming towards us at a frightening speed.

I uncapped Riptide and faced them head on, side by side with my friends. I allowed myself a grim smile. Kronos may have been defeated, but there was a reason I still went to camp to train.

Heroes die, but monsters keep coming back.


	9. Chapter 9

**Ah, another chapter. I spend a great of time ignoring homework to write this, so a review would be appreciated. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far.**

**Read, review, but mostly enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I had to visit my doctor the other day for a checkup, and I received some surprising news. Apparently, I am not, never was, or ever will be RR. As you can imagine, I was shocked and slightly angry.**

Five of the creatures. Five of us. We could each take on one and be done with it. However, when I glanced sideways at my friends, Triton was nowhere to be seen. I sighed. It really wasn't that unexpected, knowing what I do about immortals. A lot of them are big, never-dying, cowards.

I saw Annabeth pulling out her bronze knife, and I couldn't help but stare at it. It was a cursed blade, but a powerful one now. It had slain the Titan lord Kronos.

Travis and Connor had left their short swords at their sides. Instead, they had each pulled out a roll of… duct tape? Not exactly Celestial bronze, but I trusted them. If anyone could handle a monster with duct tape, it would be the Stolls.

Finally I looked at Tyson. He had his club held high, like he was ready to hit the creatures. _Bad fish ponies! _He yelled mentally.

At first, I thought he was talking to the hippocampi. But that couldn't be right- he loved them. Then I realized he was talking to the oncoming monsters.

I looked at them closer and they really did appear to be hippocampi. But I strained my eyes and noticed the distinct difference. Instead of having the head of a horse, these all had the head of a different wild animal. One had the head of a tiger. Another had the head of a lion, closely followed by one with the head of wolf, bear, and what looked vaguely like an ocelot.

These were not the peaceful, grass eating fish ponies. These were hungry, evil sea monsters.

I heard Annabeth in my mind, strategizing for the rest of us. _Dismount from the hippocampi,_ she said. _I'll take the ocelot. Connor, take the lion. Travis, the wolf. Tyson, the bear. Percy…_

_I'll take the tiger, _I said. I raised Riptide and the monsters were on us in no time. I rolled out of the jaws of the fish tiger and swung Riptide directly at its neck, but it was too fast. It swam in front of my sword and before I could react, took a bite of the forearm that bore Riptide.

Its teeth shattered against my skin. I was really loving this curse of Achilles thing. The fish tiger recoiled after its bite and I saw my chance. I swung Riptide in a deadly arc and severed the monster's tiger head from the rest of the body.

I looked up to see how my friends were doing. Annabeth was moving so quickly I couldn't even see her knife- just a flash of Celestial bronze and then a disintegrated monster.

Travis and Connor had somehow weaved a net out of duct tape with the sticky side pointed towards the monsters they were facing. They had managed to tangle up both of the monsters so bad that all I could see was a pair of wolf ears and part of a lion's mane. They moved in with their swords and made quick work of the creatures.

Tyson was having more trouble, however. Annabeth had told him to take the bear, which was the biggest one of the group. Tyson wasn't hurt, but he didn't seem to want to hurt the bear either. It was too much like Rainbow, his hippocampus.

Finally the bear landed a lucky blow. His claws raked across Tyson's torso and he cried out in pain. In desperation, I threw Riptide. As soon as I let it go, I could tell it wasn't even going to be close. The sword was way off to the left; Tyson was on his own.

But I shouldn't have worried. Tyson raised his club, and with a swing that would have a major league baseball player to shame, sent the bear-fish thing hurtling head over heels (Head over fish tail?).

Straight into Riptide, which had kept on going in the water. The bear howled as Riptide entered the lower part of its back. It disintegrated onto the ocean floor.

We were all stunned.

_Tyson that was… amazing!_ Annabeth exclaimed.

He blushed. _Was nothing, _he said. _Used to be baseball fan._

I was stuck wondering how a Cyclops could be a baseball fan, but suddenly Triton reappeared.

_Well done, _he said. _I had my doubts, but you all did well._

I was angry. _Where were you? _I said, once again trying to control my anger towards an immortal. _You are a freaking prince of the sea! You could have snapped your fingers and these guys would've been gone. Tyson wouldn't have gotten hurt!_

_Heroes must forge their own paths, _he answered. _You know that. Immortals are bound by ancient laws not to help you._

I was still annoyed, but I knew that he was right. I was all set to keep going, but Travis had other plans.

_Percy, _he asked. _Why don't we stop for the night. It's getting dark and cold quickly, and this place should be clear of monsters now. _

He was right. It was getting cold, which was unlike the ocean. It might be better for all of to stop and rest.

Triton rolled his eyes at us and muttered something about incompetent mortals needing to sleep. But I was ready to sleep. We started moving towards a valley near the wreckage of the ship.

As we were just getting settled down, we heard a howl of pain that was probably carried for miles by the ocean. I shivered.

The noise sounded like it was made by Poseidon- and he was in pain.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello to everyone reading this. I have a few apologies to get out of the way, so let's get started.**

**First of all, let me apologize for not posting an actual chapter. I normally hate when authors do these on here because I always get really excited about the new chapter only to find out that it is a stupid message explaining something.**

**Second of all, I have to apologize for what will soon be very infrequent updating. My chapters are fairly short, so I like to post one of them every two days (usually one if I can manage it). However, I will not be able to post a new chapter for a few days- probably not until Friday or Saturday. The reason for this? I have an AP History exam coming up on Friday, and I really have to buckle down and study for it. **

**Now on to some good news. Once my AP Exam is finished, I should have a lot more free time and I should be able to update at least once every two days like I have been doing. So get excited.**

**Also, thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, story alerted, etc. this story. It means a lot to me and helps to want to continue this. **

**Disclaimer: Finally, I figured some of you guys might like a visual interpretation of how I reacted when the doctor told me I was not Rick Riordan (disclaimer from Chapter 9 I think...). So here it is. Look at the video and skip to 0: 08 seconds in.**

.com/watch?v=o6HUJfbVl7c

**Hopefully you all will find that mildly entertaining and won't be too mad with me.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you all for being so patient with me. My AP exam was difficult, but I am just glad that it's over. As always, read, review, and mostly enjoy.**

**Now this chapter was especially trick to write. Not a lot of action, but it is important for later in the story. Look at the end of the chapter for a small explanation of the difficult part that I am trying to convey.**

**Disclaimer: Checked my birth certificate. My name is apparently not Rick Riordan. **

That night, the ocean grew cold. The water was almost literally freezing. If it hadn't been for me  
being the son of Poseidon, it would have been a much more uncomfortable night. The others who weren't children of Poseidon had to rely on a fire that Triton made to keep them warm - which was actually pretty awesome, considering we were underwater.

The fire itself was also pretty cool. It gave off heat like and light like a normal fire, and I'm pretty sure if I had stuck my hand in it I still would have gotten burned. However, unlike a normal fire, this wasn't orange and red and yellow. It was blue and green and contained all if the colors of the sea.

_Sea fire_, I heard Triton say in my mind. _One of the many underwater creations of Poseidon._

Tyson nodded his agreement. _We use some at forges_, he said. _Very hot. Good for swords._

_I'm just glad I'm not going to freeze tonight,_ said Travis.  
_Also, could we borrow some of this fire for when we get back?_ Asked Connor.

_No!_ Annabeth and I exclaimed at the same time. I didn't even want to imagine what tricks they could pull with the sea fire. I shuddered at the thought of a canoe "accidentally" catching on fire in the middle of the lake.

_Fine_, they replied gloomily.

Annabeth pressed on with the more important issues. _Percy and I will take first watch_, she said. _That is, unless a certain immortal who doesn't need sleep would like to keep watch instead._ She stared at Triton.

He just shrugged. _Sorry kid,_ he said, not sounding sorry at all. _I have stuff to do. I won't be here tonight._

I held my tongue. He was still an immortal, and I really don't need more enemies.

Annabeth kept on glaring at him. _Whatever,_ she said. _Percy and I will do it._

Tyson, Travis, and Connor all nodded. They seemed to be fine with getting some sleep. Triton just rolled his eyes and disappeared with a burst of bubbles.

That night, Annabeth and I were sitting around the fire opposite of where Tyson and the Stolls lay. Annabeth was stating at the fire in silence. I was looking at her eyes. They really did remind of storm clouds- gray, powerful, brooding, but they also held an unmistakable intelligence that was scary to anyone who didn't know her well. And, I guess, scary to some who did. Annabeth spoke.

_I'm worried, Percy,_ she said. I was startled out of staring at her.

_About the quest?_ I asked. It was the only thing I could think of.

_No,_ she said. _About us. Our relationship._

_Why?_ I asked. I was honestly confused. What was wrong with our relationship? I thought we were doing just fine.

She sighed. _You just seem so much farther ahead than everyone else,_ she said. _Do you know what I mean?__  
_  
I was still confused. _No_, I answered honestly.

She looked up and met my eyes with her cold gray ones. _Percy, you have risen above every hero. You were almost immortal- you could've been immortal. You're practically a god, and I'm still expecting to have a relationship with you? Percy, you could have any girl you want! You are the hero of Olympus! How am I supposed to compete with some other girls?_ She was practically yelling by the end.

I was taken aback. She wasn't trying to break up with me- she was just nervous. _Wise Girl, you're over-thinking this, as usual,_ I said. _I was honestly worried about losing you- you're seriously beautiful. There's no reason for you to worry about competing with other girls, because they can't compete with you._

She looked a little better, but not much. _Still,_ she said. _You were offered immortality! If the next Great Prophecy comes again and you help complete it - which I'm sure you will - this gods might offer you immortality again. I could lose you!_

I sighed. This was hard to explain. _Annabeth,_ I said. _There's a reason I turned down immortality the first time. Yes, it would have been hard to leave all of my other friends. But you were the main reason. I wanted to have a normal life and be with you. Honestly, seeing your face after I turned down the gods' gift made up for getting 12 powerful immortals angry with me.  
_  
I continued. It was important to me that she understood this. _And do you know what Achilles told me before I bathed in the river Styx? He said that I would have to focus on my most mortal point- this would be my weakest point and strongest part of my body. When I finally walked into the river, it was like my entire mortal essence was being dissolved. There was only one this was truly able to anchor me to the mortal world.__  
_  
_You. I pictured you pulling me out of the river. You kept me on the earth that day- you saved my life even though weren't there. Even if I did turn down immortality and am almost invincible, it was because of you that I was able to do those things. They don't place me above you, or above anyone else, because you have made it possible for me to do them. You are the reason I am like I am today- mortal and alive, and I don't regret a single decision I have made along the way. I would do it all over again.  
_  
Annabeth's eyes lit up again. She understood what I was saying. If, for some reason, the gods did offer me immortality again, I would turn it down again.

She leaned into me. _Thank you,_ she whispered. I leaned in and kissed her. _Anytime, anywhere_, I responded quietly.

We just stayed close to each other until our shift was over. I fell into a deep, rough sleep.

That night in my dreams, I saw a place that I had been to only once before. Poseidon's palace. The last time I had been there, it was an incredible experience. This time the place was ruined.

There was sea fire burning at one end of the palace and the palace had been almost completely leveled. I was getting angry again at the thought of Oceanus taking control of this place.

The scene shifted and I was a room that looked like where the throne room used to be. For some reason, this had been left mostly alone- I guess so that Oceanus could use it for himself. Upon the throne sat a cloud of ink. Well, that's what it looked like to me.

_Foolish hero, _the ink said in my mind. I was surprised. Ink was not high on my mental list of evil forces, so I wasn't really sure how to react.

_Umm…thanks, I guess. _I said. _Bah! _The ink said. _You are a son of Poseidon, are you not? Do you not recognize the lord of the ocean?_

If I had my hands in a dream, I would have curled them into fists. This was Oceanus? I had imagined him looking somewhat... scarier. _My father is lord of the ocean, _I said forcefully.

The ink chuckled. _The truth is hard to accept. _

_I wouldn't know. But I'm sure you would. _I responded.

_Clever. I can tell my form surprises you._

I almost laughed. _No, _I said. _I always expected the Titan of the ocean to be something fluid from a squid._

The ink didn't move. Which wasn't really all that surprising.

_Laugh while you can, hero. I am saving my true form for the main event. What fun!_

The ink flew at me and the scene faded away into blackness.

**One thing you MUST understand about this: Annabeth is strong. She isn't really worried about Percy finding another girl. That is just the start of her worries. Her real problem is Percy becoming immortal or so close to an immortal that they become different- too different to be together.**


	12. Chapter 12

**My longest chapter yet! Granted, they're pretty short, so that isn't saying a lot. Still, I really am feeling an undeserved sense of self-accomplishment, so I am either doing something terribly wrong or terribly right.**

**On to another topic- feedback. The feedback from last chapter was incredible. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, favorite, story alerted, etc. It really means a lot and motivates me to continue the story. **

**As always, read, review, but mostly enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Ah, the disclaimer. That magical part of the story where you all get to read – once again- that I am not Rick Riordan. That gets old fast. So instead, we are going to play a game. Everyone who bothers to read this, please feel free to take a guess as to whether or not I am Rick Riordan. (Hint: The answer is either "yes" or "no", so you have a 50% chance of getting it right). Answer will be revealed next chapter. Or to those who ask.**

I opened my eyes the next morning to see something green staring down at me. _Rise and shine, little brother, _Triton said. _What would a mortal call you? Sleeping…_

_Beauty, _I said sleepily.

He shook his head in disagreement. _No, definitely not. Sleeping ugly. I like that much better._

I rolled overand got up. _Whatever. What's for breakfast?_

Connor popped up behind Triton's shoulder and grinned. _Seaweed! What else? _He held up something green and slimy. Triton pushed him away.

_I didn't mean literal seaweed! _He said. _I have some that was store bought. Idiot._

I blinked in surprise. _You buy it from regular stores? _I asked.

_It is my favorite mortal food, _he admitted. _Tastes like home._

_Yeah, as good as that sounds, I think I'll pass, _I said.

Triton shrugged. _Fine. More for me._

After we rounded everyone up, we set off on our hippocampi.

Where to next? I asked.

Tyson responded first. _Coral reef,_ he said. _First landmark on way to palace. And forges!_ He finished happily.

Now you have to trust me on this: hippocampi are fast on top of water. It is like riding on a jet ski. Underwater? Like being a participant in the Indy 500. It's actually incredible to see how fast they can go. When they really want to, it is impossible to identify anything that you're traveling past. Everything beside you just appears to be a blur. However, we couldn't go that fast unless we wanted to risk falling off. Besides, even if he was a god, I doubt Triton could keep up with just his two fish tails.

We were still making pretty good time. We zoomed past some pretty amazing creatures- manatees, brightly colored fish, even the occasional whale. There were also some mythological creatures as well. There were a few herds of hippocampi, as well as a few sea monsters that I hoped were friendly.

Eventually we came to a coral reef. Even though we were in the middle of a dangerous quest, I had to catch my breath. The coral reef was incredible. It was brilliantly colored with splashes of orange and pink amidst the blue. There were a multitude of fish swimming around and I caught glimpses of their thoughts. The little guys were almost passing out with excitement from seeing three sons of Poseidon at the same place.

Suddenly I felt a cold current pass through the ocean. Beside me, Annabeth, Connor, and Travis all shivered simultaneously. Triton disappeared in a burst of bubbles and Tyson simply clenched his fists. All of the fished swam away hurriedly.

I could sense something terrible was approaching. The cold current is never a good sign. I mentally sighed. _I wish, just once, we could get and easy quest. _Travis grinned at me. _Wouldn't be a real quest if it was, _I heard on my mind.

I guess I forgot to try to block out my thoughts from the others. Before I could say anything further, a shark burst out from behind the reef. Everyone drew their weapons.

Now let me explain something. I am not afraid of sharks. My dad is Poseidon, so they will usually just swim away when I ask them to. But this one was a shark the size of a blue whale. The thing was huge, and it could talk too.

_My master was wrong about you five. _The voice in my mind was metal scraping on stone. However, it sounded slightly… feminine? Scary. _My master claimed that you heroes were something to be reckoned with. That statement appears to be incorrect. _

_Hey, come on, _Travis protested. _Yea, we're… something, _Connor finished. Annabeth glared at them.

_Way to convince her with eloquent speech. _Annabeth said. _Lamia might just believe that. _

The voice spoke again._ Ah, this one knows me. I used to be mortal queen! But Zeus transformed me into this. I have no love for the gods. Neither does my master._

_Who is your master? _I wondered. _Oceanus?_

The voice laughed. _If only you knew. _

Then the shark lunged at us. It opened its jaw to reveal rows and rows of sharp white teeth. I moved to one side as an idea began to form in my mind. I yelled out to the others.

_Get to the reef! Scatter and hid! _

_What? I want to fight! _said Connor as he ran as fast as could while Lamia swam after him. She took her tail and swung it into a rock that Tyson had thrown at her, blasting it into pieces.

_On second thought, hiding sounds good. _Travis said.

I think Annabeth already had some idea of my plan. I threw Riptide at the shark, but I hadn't had time to uncap it. Still, the pen hit it in the eye and Lamia paused. That gave us enough time to hide in the coral reef.

My theory was pretty simple. Lamia was huge. The coral reef was full of small spaces. She shouldn't be able to fit in and find us. When one of us was behind her, we would jump up and stab her. As I relayed my plan to the others, who were hidden in different part of the reef, Annabeth decided to modify the plan a little.

_Fine, _she said. _But I'm going invisible to try and sneak up behind it if I can. _After that I guess she put on her cap and disappeared.

I heard a huge crashing sound. I sneaked a look over the coral that I was hiding under. Lamia had tried to find us another section of the coral. As I predicted, she could not fit into all of the crevices and cracks. Unlike I had thought, however, she decided to make room. She simply crashed into the rocks and broke them into rubble.

Time for plan B. I jumped up on top of the rocks and shouted at the stupid shark. Classic demigod battle tactic.

_Hey ugly! Get over here so I can make you into sushi! _I shouted. Hey, I was hungry and it was the first thing that came into my mind.

The shark growled. _You die first, son of Poseidon. _Was there a bulletin going around about who I was or something?

Lamia swam at me full speed. At the last minute, I jumped to one side. Lamia crashed full speed into the coral with her mouth open. I got up and checked into my pocket. Riptide was there. I allowed myself a quick smile. This was going to be fun. I pulled Riptide and uncapped it. The Celestial bronze blade glowed in the water.

_Get ready to-_ I began. Before I could finish, the shark howled in pain. Lamia thrashed around and I saw something blue fly off of her side. Annabeth's hat! She must have snuck up behind Lamia and stabbed her with her knife! But why didn't it kill her?

I guess Lamia was so big that Annabeth's knife wasn't able to kill her with one hit. But it certainly hurt. Lamia threw Annabeth off of her and growled at me. _She dies second, after you._

_Yea right, _I said. I ran towards her and slashed with Riptide. Lamia may have been quick, but she was huge. There was no way I could have missed. I cut a gash in her side that would have chopped most normal monsters in half.

Just as she was about to take a bit of my left leg, Connor and Travis popped up. I was glad to see that they had finally decided to fight with real weapons for once. Don't get me wrong, they're pretty handy with duct tape, but I don't know if I would trust my life to them. They both had their short swords drawn and were advancing quickly.

They split up around either side of Lamia. She snapped at Connor, but Travis distracted her by stabbing her in the side. When she turned to face him instead, Connor slashed at her. The thing with short swords is that they're much heavier than normal swords, so those cuts were hurting. At the same time that they were getting attacking, I advanced towards her and Annabeth snuck up behind her.

Finally Lamia had had enough. She knocked Connor and Annabeth aside with her tail in one swipe and turned to face Travis. At that moment, Tyson popped up from the section of the coral reel that Lamia had destroyed earlier. In each of his hands he was holding a huge rock.

_Bad fish! _He bellowed as he threw the rocks, one after the other. They both made direct contact. Travis saw that she was distracted and slashed at her left fin, cutting the tip of it off. Lamia wailed. Annabeth and Connor were trying to get back up, but she knocked them back down.

Meanwhile Tyson kept on throwing rocks. I think Lamia finally realized that she was outnumbered and turned to flee.

_Oh no you don't, _I muttered. I speed after her, leaving everyone else behind. Lamia flew past the coral reef.

Tyson has a great arm. He hit Lamia dead on the nose with the biggest boulder of the day as she was in the middle of fleeing. She paused long enough for me to catch up with her. As I was advancing towards her, I will myself to rise.

I kept on rising in the water until I was almost at the top of the ocean. I could see Lamia down below me, and a ways behind her were my friends, desperately trying to catch up.

_Descend, _I thought. Immediately I began to shoot downwards headfirst. As I was hurtling down into the ocean, almost as fast as the hippocampi, I extended my sword arm out in front of me. Riptide was a deadly horn, ready to pierce.

I timed my landing perfectly. Riptide hit Lamia in the head- just below the base of the skull. I was blasted back as Lamia exploded in a cloud of monster dust.

As she was being disintegrated, I caught her last words.

_Keto will have her revenge._


	13. Chapter 13

**Short chapter, I know, but we're getting there.**

**Again, thank you everyone who had been reviewing. Especially those who have been reviewing consistently for the past few times; you know who you are. Thank you all for giving me motivation.**

**Read, review, but mostly enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Last time I checked, RR was not a 20 year old female sitting alone in her room. Then again, neither am I; not even a little. But I'm still not RR.**

_Keto will have her revenge. _I didn't like the sound of that. But who was Keto?

The name vaguely struck a chord somewhere in my memory, like I had heard it years and years ago. Maybe in Chiron's Latin class way back in 6th grade? But that didn't seem right.

I shook my head. Annabeth would know, for sure. I looked to see the rest of them running at me. Triton was back.

_Percy, that was awesome! _Connor practically yelled. Tyson nodded his agreement. _Never really liked sharks, _he said.

I ignored both of them. If my suspicions were correct, and unfortunately they usually were, then Lamia could be the least of our worries. I met Annabeth's gaze.

_Who is Keto? _I asked. Annabeth and Triton both paled. Triton was immortal; why was he getting nervous? I mean, I know that he was a coward, but still.

_Wh-why? _She asked hesitantly.

I repeated Lamia's last words to them all and Triton flinched. _Not her. Hell, anyone but her. _Annabeth didn't say anything but she looked as if she agreed fully with him.

_Who is she? _I pressed on. By this time I was almost regretting asking in the first place. Did I really want to know?

Annabeth hesitated before finally answering my question. _Do you remember a few years ago when we had to find and destroy a monster that could be the bane of Olympus? _She asked.

_It turned out to be Bessie, _I said. _So what?_

_Do you remember some of the guesses that Chiron had as to who the monster was?_

_Typhon, I_ remembered. _And um…_

_Keto. _She finished for me. _He said she was a sea monster as tall as a skyscraper. _

Triton looked towards, and for the first time, he looked completely serious. I saw genuine fear in his eyes.

_She may be a monster, but she is also a goddess, _he said. _Like Poseidon, she was a ruler of the ocean._

_So why is she so bad?_ I asked. _Couldn't Poseidon easily take care of her?_

_Not easily, but he could defeat her. That is why she has never made a move. Not until now, when Poseidon is captured and weak. We just have to pray that she has not teamed up with Oceanus. I fear the two of them together would be near impossible to defeat, _Triton said.

_And to answer your original question: why is she so bad? She is a ruler of the ocean, but unlike Poseidon, she only controls the terrible parts. Ships sinking, ancient sharks, creatures that most mortals can't even stand to look at without going mad- all within her domain. She is the worst that the ocean has to offer._

Tyson frowned. He didn't like this. _But daddy has control over all of the ocean. _

_Yes, your father does, _Annabeth told him. _But the bad side of the ocean is rarely seen in Poseidon. Keto enjoys her work, and controls much of the dark side of the waters. _

Travis was looking pretty nervous right about now. _So, let me get the quest straight. As of right now, we still have two immortals to defeat- one a Titan, one a goddess._

_Check, _responded Connor.

_We also have one immortal to release from his prison, while simultaneously trying to be stopped by aforementioned immortals._

_Also, yes. _Connor said.

_And during this entire time, we have to deal with all of these monsters that they keep sending our way, and the only freed immortal on our side runs away whenever there is a fight._

Triton looked offended. _It's called "tactically retreating." Look it up some time. Besides, I do have some good news._

_What's that? _Annabeth asked.

_I will be able to fight with you guys later on. _Even though he wasn't my favorite person in the world, I was still pretty relieved. It would be nice to finally have someone who couldn't die on our side for a change.

_However, that is only when we fight Oceanus. You guys should be able to handle Keto on your own, _he finished.

I knew my newfound respect for him wouldn't last long. Still, 3 seconds was an all time high for Triton.

There was a pause. _Sounds fun, _Connor said.

_Almost as much fun as last Easter, _Travis added.

_For the record, that was not fun. Or funny, _Annabeth said.

It was time to push forward with the quest. After all, I was the leader, wasn't I?

_Guys, _I interrupted. _We should probably- _

_Percy, shut up, we have to leave now. _Triton said. _Unless you want to stand around and talk for the rest of the day?_

Connor began to talk. _Well, actually-_

_Oh, shut up. _Annabeth said.

I sighed. _Where to next? _

Tyson answered once again. _Left at the reef, _he said, gesturing towards it. _We're getting close._

_Can't wait. _Travis said.

We set off to the left of the reef. We left the hippocampi there, because we were getting and closer and closer to Oceanus's lair, and we needed the extra stealth. Besides, it wasn't that much farther.

And so once again, I set off with a few friends to salvage a victory out of a possibly hopeless quest, with little chance of success.

I was beginning to think this was becoming too regular of an occurrence.


	14. Chapter 14

**I apologize for both the long time to upload and also the shortness of the chapter. However, this is just a filler to provide for the good stuff. **

**Por favor, read, review, but mostly enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Too tired to think of anything clever. That's a third thing to apologize for. I don't own any of this.**

We walked onwards. According to Triton and Tyson, we were looking for a sunken ship.

_Like the last one we passed?_ I asked.

_Yes,_ Triton responded. _But-  
_  
_Bigger. Much bigger._ Tyson finished.

_Great. Probably another opportunity for some monster to try a sneak attack on us._ Connor muttered.

_That's the spirit!_ Travis added helpfully.

Annabeth shook her head in disagreement. _I don't think we'll be attacked tonight. Killing Lamia was a huge loss for Oceanus and Keto. They might need a little time to recover and re-strategize. Assuming that they're working together, that is._

That was good news at least. I could have used a night of rest. I didn't even want to talk about battles right now.

_So,_ I said, trying to change the subject. _How big is the ship exactly?  
_  
_Very big,_ said Tyson. _Named Titanic!  
_  
Annabeth's eyes grew wide. _The Titanic? _She asked. _The same one that sank when it hit an iceberg? That was an architectural masterpiece! I mean, until it sank. How are we anywhere near it?  
_  
Tyson shrugged and Triton decided to answer. _Mythological places have a different type of time and space than mortal ones. Much like the Labyrinth. The closer we get to Poseidon's palace, the mythological center if the ocean, the more time and space are distorted._

I hate when stuff like that happens. It's so annoying with my ADHD and everything; I already had enough stuff messing with my brain. But it would still be cool to see the Titanic.

Night was coming quickly in the ocean. When I looked straight up, I could see the fiery orange glow of the sun setting above us. It made the ocean look almost eerie.

Finally, after nearly an hour of walking, we came to a rise in the sand at the bottom of the ocean. It formed a hill; an ominous symbol looming over us. All of us climbed to the top and looked over.

Beneath us was a gigantic ship. It made the one where I found Bessie look a child's toy. It must have been nearly a thousand feet long. It was just sitting on the bottom of the ocean, but there was a huge crack almost directly in the middle.

_Looks like a good place to spend the night._ Annabeth said.

Travis looked nervous. _Like, inside the ship? Where people died?_

Annabeth just nodded. _Yup. At least they have real beds._

I was almost as reluctant as Travis, but it still would be really nice to spend a night in a real bed. If there was one thing I always missed on quests, it was a good mattress.

_Fine, _Travis said. _Let's go. _

Once we got into the boat, it wasn't actually that bad. It was still a little weird knowing that people had died on here, but once I saw the first-class cabins, I was able to live with it. Tyson and I quickly grabbed a room and Travis and Connor decided to bunk together. Annabeth got her own room.

Even though the ship had been underwater for like a hundred years, it was actually in pretty good condition. I wondered if being so close to Poseidon's palace had helped to keep in good shape. I was just glad for a bed.

I got into bed and slept like a log until my shift started. I was by myself this time. I walked around the ship alone in the dark.

I'll admit it; I was starting to get a little freaked out. I kept a hand on Riptide the entire time that I was on my shift. I mean, come on. People had _died_ here.

Luckily nothing very exciting happened on my shift. Once, I saw a green glowing light far off, but it disappeared almost immediately.

After I woke up Tyson for his turn, I settled down into bed. I closed my eyes and tried to go to sleep.

Right before I drifted off, I heard a voice in my mind.

_Come on little hero. I eagerly await you. _A slight laugh followed, and the voice faded away in nothing.

It could have been Oceanus, but the voice was wrong. It was more feminine.

It was Keto. We were getting close.


	15. Chapter 15

**Okay, I think this chapter makes up for the last one. Once again, thank you to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, etc. Special thanks to all of those who have been reviewing consistently; we are almost up to 20 reviews, in large part thanks to you.**

**Read, review, but mostly enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: It was bring your kids to work day yesterday. I thought I was RR, so I was planning on bringing my son to work. Then I realized I don't have a son.**

The next day, we rose early. The sun was still rising above us, again casting an orange glow over the entire group.

_Where are we going next?_ Annabeth asked to Tyson.

_Straight down. _He said.

I was a little confused until he took around the back side of the boat. About fifty yards away from the boat there was a huge chasm. I couldn't see how deep it was, but even at this distance, looking at it made me shudder. If there was any part of the ocean that I wouldn't want to go to, it would be this place. There was evil lurking somewhere down there.

_Only way to get to Daddy's palace. _Tyson said, but even he looked uneasy. _Usually very safe. _Almost at the exact same time that he said that, I heard a voice in my mind. It didn't say anything, but there was a cold laugh echoing around my head. I looked around the group, but it didn't appear that anyone else had heard it.

I shook my head to get rid of the voice. _Let's grab the rest of the group and start moving, _I said. _The sooner we see Keto the sooner I can kick her ass._

We went back to the ship to wake up Connor, Travis, and Triton. Actually, we were just trying to find Triton since immortals don't have to sleep.

We woke up Travis and Connor almost immediately, but it harder to find Triton.

Annabeth frowned. _Maybe he already disappeared._

_Unfortunately, I can completely believe that. _I said.

We decided to continue without him. He couldn't fight against Keto with us anyway, so there was no real point in finding him. After Travis and Connor got ready, we started off towards the creepy chasm. Right as we got within twenty yards of the abyss, I heard that same laugh in my head. At the exact same time, a cold current passed through. Tyson shivered.

We all knew the signs, and drew our weapons. Except for Connor? _What's going- oh. _He said, looking around the group. He pulled out his own short sword.

The laughter in my head increased. I peered closely towards the chasm. There was something coming.

Suddenly, Keto rose from the darkness. At least I think it was Keto. The creature was certainly ugly enough to be an ancient Greek monster.

From the stomach up, the monster was a woman. A large, very ugly, woman. Her skin was extremely pale, and there were scars all over her body and face. Her eyes were blue, but they were chaotic and looked like there were miniature whirlpools in them. Her hair that looked like it was made of seaweed that was so long it went down and covered most of her chest. Tangled and stuck in the hair was what looked like a sunken ship, an angry looking shark, and a few skeletons. Cute.

From beneath the stomach, she was simply a dragon or sea serpent of some kind. She had green scales covering her tail. She grinned, and all I saw in her mouth was rows and rows of shark teeth. The scariest thing about her though, wasn't any of her features. It was her size.

Chiron had been exaggerating when he said that she was big as a skyscraper, but not by much. She was absolutely gigantic. I couldn't even see the bottom of her because she was still hidden inside the abyss.

I gulped, which I hope wasn't audible. Even if I was scared, I had to fight. This was for my home and my father. I raised Riptide and charged.

I could hear Annabeth's voice in my mind. _Percy, what the hell are you doing? We need to think about this! _

I ignored her and jumped, willing the current to push me higher and higher I reached her chest. I slashed out Riptide and stuck it in her chest, keeping in it there as I was falling down towards the ocean floor. I kicked off of her body, kept on falling until I hit the bottom I looked up to see the damage I caused.

Which was basically nothing. It just looked she had barely scratched herself. I could barely even see a mark on her. She spoke in my mind.

_Idiot, _she hissed. _Nothing you can do could possibly hurt me. _She laughed as she swiped at me with her hand, knocking me back. I kept on moving until I hit the Titanic, over a hundred feet away where I was. I hit the metal ship with a clank and sank to the bottom.

I was dazed. I was almost literally seeing stars. I shook my head and tried to stand up, but I fell down almost immediately. I blinked hard and looked up to see my friends fighting Keto. Tyson was desperately trying to pummel Keto with his fists and club, but she was too big even for him.

Annabeth, Travis, and Connor were dodging and rolling around Keto hands and slashing at her when they could, but they weren't doing anything.

Keto seemed to be finding everyone's efforts very amusing. Suddenly, her serpent's tail lashed out and knocked Tyson backwards. She grabbed Travis and threw him toward me. She roared, and I watched Connor pull something off of his arm. His knife with Greek fire set in the handle. Keto was roaring! If he was able to throw the knife in her mouth, she would automatically be disintegrated.

Connor raised his arm back and threw the knife in Keto's mouth. I watched her happily, waiting for her to be killed.

Keto paused for a moment, then laughed. _I am much too powerful for anything that you can muster. I am a goddess! I am immortal._

I forgot she was a goddess. So she couldn't even be killed no matter what we did. Great.

Keto laughed again and knocked Annabeth aside and slashed at Travis. Now I was pissed off.

Keto's constant laughter was annoying enough, but now she had hurt my friends. I stood up and waited to see if I would fall again. Nothing. I was ready to fight.

I did another stupid thing: I charged Keto again. When I got within range of her arms, she lunged at me. I managed to dodge most of it, but she still hit me. I went rolling back a few feet and shot right back up.

I could hear the roar of the ocean in my ears. My mind went blank and seized on one simple thought: this was my home. Keto was destroying it.

I raised Riptide and pointed it at Keto. I remembered what the name meant. The current that catches one by surprise.

I concentrated on the power of the ocean all around. This was when I was at my strongest. I was so close to my father, and I was not going to let some unworthy goddess stop me. I yelled, and a whirlpool erupted out of the point of Riptide.

The whirlpool swirled chaotically. Even though I had caused it, it was out of my control now. The power that had come out of the sword rivaled what I had felt when I had gone past Charybdis. The whirlpool was an underwater hurricane, destroying anything it its path. It rammed into Keto, knocking her down. I thought for a second that the whirlpool might have finished her off, but of course my luck wouldn't hold.

I heard Keto roar and I knew what to do to get rid of her. I was son of Poseidon, who did not just control water. I stabbed Riptide down into the sand, and it sank up to the hilt like a hot knife cutting through butter. There was a rumbling in the earth.

Keto, still at the bottom of the abyss, felt it. _No!_ She yelled.

The edged of the chasm began to cave in. Pieces of the edge began to fall in. The chasm closed in and sealed in the ground. I heard Keto wail one last time before she was trapped beneath the earth, hopefully forever.

I should have been on the ground with exhaustion, but all I could feel was elation. We were one step closer to finding my father.

My friends gathered around me, and Triton even reappeared, looking uncharacteristically impressed.

_Impressive, _he said. _But don't get too cocky. _

_There's worse coming._


	16. Chapter 16

**So, here is another long chapter. I had a lot of fun writing this one. Again, thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favorites, etc. Thanks especially to those consistent reviewers. **

**Read, review, but mostly enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: I'm fairly sure that RR is not obsessed with the show Community. I am. Therefore, I am not Rick Riordan.**

My feeling of elation was over. I dropped the ground and was breathing hard when the rest of the came over to circle around. Everyone looked impressed, especially Connor and Travis.

_Son of the Earthshaker_, Connor said. _Nice. I didn't know you could do that._

_Neither did I_, I responded honestly as I stood up. _It was really just a guess._

Annabeth rolled her eyes. _Tactically speaking, you're one of the stupidest people I've ever met._

_Well it worked, didn't it?_ I asked cunningly.

Annabeth just rolled her eyes again and looked away. Score one for Percy.

I looked at Tyson. Mistake. He took that to mean "I could really use a hug right now." I really need to work on my body language.

Tyson grabbed me in a crushing embrace. _Yay!_ He yelled. _You did not die! And I found peanut butter on Titanic._ He showed me a jar of the stuff. I honestly don't know which thing he was more excited about. Probably me being alive, but not by much.

I grinned at him. _So it's a win all around._ I said. _Now that we have the food situation taken care of, where do we go next?_

Tyson looked nervous. _Uh oh._ He said.

_What is it?_ Travis asked.

_We were supposed to go down chasm to get to Daddy's palace,_ He said. _But Percy sealed chasm!  
_  
Connor, Annabeth, and Travis all glared at me.

_Great job, Percy,_ Connor said.

_Give me a break, I was trying to destroy a goddess!_ I complained. _How was this my fault?_

Triton interrupted before anyone else could get mad. _There is another way to get to Father's palace, _he said darkly.

Great. Just the way he said that made it sound sinister and threatening. I really was not looking forward to this other way.

_Through the kelp fields, _he said. Well that didn't sound too menacing.

Annabeth frowned. _I haven't heard of that, _she said.

Triton nodded. _I'm not surprised. _I was; Annabeth usually knows about this kind of stuff. _It is rarely spoken of because of the monsters lurking within. Imagine a forest of kelp, ten feet high and so thick that it is impossible to see through. Anything could be inside. And the entire field is under Poseidon's protection, so we cannot even cut it down._

Travis looked a little nervous. _So what monsters hide inside there? _He asked.

This time Tyson answered. _No one knows, _he said. _Even the oldest and strongest Cyclops don't go in the field. There are stories…legends… _he trailed off.

Connor spoke up. _Legends of what? _He asked.

Tyson answered again. _Creatures going missing. Everything from Mermaids to Cyclops have disappeared within the field. We would assume they are missing, but sometimes… some of them show up. Pieces of clothes have turned up, straight off of the creature that disappeared._

_So, _I said. _Time to have some more fun. Which way is the field?_

Triton pointed and spoke on word. _East._

I started walking, and the rest of the group followed. _How far away is the field? _I asked.

_Close. _Triton answered.

_That's not a real answer. How close? _I asked.

Triton waited a second before answering. We rose to the top of a hill. He pointed down, and I saw a huge field. They had described it perfectly. The kelp spread out over all directions for as far as I could see. It was at least ten feet tall, and there was a certain darkness about it.

_Close. _Triton repeated.

We all walked down the hill and stopped directly in front of the wall of kelp. The kelp seemed to have a life of its own, moving around and swaying even without the ocean's current moving it. I couldn't even see past the first layer. The kelp could be hiding anything from an angelfish to a horde of great white sharks.

Triton stepped in front of me. _Follow me, _he said. _I'm the only one who will be able to find the path through the field._

I didn't like trusting Triton, but what choice did I have? Triton stepped into the kelp and I followed right behind him.

Being in the kelp felt like I was being suffocated. I could barely see, and every time I moved it felt like the kelp was wrapping around my limbs, trying to hold me back and stop me from moving.

I felt Annabeth put her hand on my back.

_Sorry, _I heard her say. _I don't want to lose you._

In spite of where we were, I grinned. _Don't worry, I don't mind. _I responded.

We continued walking like this for what felt like hours. I heard Connor and Travis somewhere behind me complaining, but never giving up. I have to admit, I admired them for that. They might joke around a lot and seem lazy, but they were willing to put in the work when it counted. Not your typical sons of Hermes.

Suddenly, Triton stopped walking. I almost knocked into him, which caused Annabeth to almost hit me and cause a total domino effect. It was a lot like a cartoon actually.

_Stop, _Triton said.

_Way ahead of you, _Connor said, rubbing his elbow where he had bumped into Travis.

_There's something wrong, _Triton continued, ignoring him.

Annabeth looked confused. _What? _She asked. _I don't sense anything. _

Triton nodded, the realized that no one but me could see him. _Yes, that's exactly it. We've been walking for over an hour and nothing has happened. We should have been attacked by now._

_Sounds like a good thing to me, _I said. _Maybe the legends are just legends after all. _

Triton shook his head, then remembered again that only I could see him. _No, I'm positive that monsters lurk within this field. I'm sure of it. Something should have happened by now. _

Literally the second after he said that, I felt the kelp around me move. A head popped up in front of me. I saw a small head with a row of tiny, needle-sharp teeth. I stared directly into the yellow eye of an eel.

_Hey, little guy, _I said. Being a son of Poseidon, I could talk to sea creatures like this. It was actually kind of cool. _What's going on here- OW! _The eel sank his tiny teeth down into my arm. Those teeth may have been small, but they hurt like hell.

The eel latched on, and wouldn't let go of my arm. I started shaking my arm to try and get rid of it. Finally I got fed up and punched the eel. It shrieked (eels shriek- who knew?) and let go. It swam off, but reappeared a second later. With friends.

A mob, swarm, herd, flock, school, or whatever a group of eels is called appeared all around us. I heard cries around the group and the eels began biting my friends. I tried to draw Riptide, but this time I'm positive about it- the kelp wrapped around my arm and prevented me from pulling it out.

I gritted my teeth and started punching randomly. I felt teeth sink into my leg at the same time that my fist connected with an eel's head. Beside me, I saw a yellowish glow.

Annabeth's Celestial bronze knife! It was small enough that she was able to pull it out and use it to fight. She was slashing around and doing the best out of any of us at fighting the eels. I saw several of them get injured and slink away.

_Annabeth! _I yelled. _There's one on my leg! _

A second later, I felt a sharp pain on my leg. _That was me; try a little to the left. _I said, trying not to yell out.

_Sorry, _I heard Annabeth say. I heard a shriek and the eel that was clinging onto my leg left. With my leg free, I could move around easier. After me hitting a few more eels, Annabeth getting in a few slashes, and Connor and Travis tying some eels into knots, we were able to get rid of them.

I had no idea where Tyson was this entire time, but I'm assuming he was busy knocking some eels back into the kelp where they belong.

I tried to grab one eel, but it was slippery. It started swimming away. _Oh no you don't, _I growled. I started running after the eels. I burst into a perfectly circular clearing completely devoid of kelp. I dived and caught the eel. It was squirming around in my hands, but I took a leaf out of Travis and Connor's book and tied it into a knot.

_I have a few questions to ask you, _I said. Before I could say anything further, the eel got out of my hands. It swam away, which looked really awkward considering the eel was still tied in a knot.

My friends came up behind me into the clearing. _Wow, _I heard Tyson exclaim. _No kelp! _

I turned towards them. _He's right, _I said. I was still mad about losing the eel, but I wasn't going to lose an opportunity like this.

_Night is coming up fast. Let's set up camp, _I said.

_We have a long day tomorrow._


	17. Chapter 17

**Ah, the end of school. One more week left, now I can look forward to exams and studying. I think I'll work on a little Spanish for the exam. **

**Desafortunadamente, los exámenes no me deja escribir mucho. Pero, tratare de escribir las historias tanto como posible.**

**Gracias a todos quienes estan escribiendo sobre esta historia.**

**Disclaimer: No me llamo RR.**

**Check that out in Google translate and then take a guess as to what I'll get on the exam. I'm thinking 92.**

I can't even tell you how good it was to finally not be surrounded by kelp. It was like opening my eyes after having them shut for hours. I looked around the circle that we had set up for the night in. It wasn't huge, with a diameter of only about twenty feet, but it was still nice. Everyone was pretty content with it except for Triton.

He looked nervous, like he didn't even want to be here. I was curious, but I didn't want to freak any one out so I pulled him aside and quietly spoke to him alone.

_What's wrong? _I asked him. He looked around nervously before answering. _This shouldn't be happening, _he muttered so quietly that I almost didn't hear him. I was still confused. _Why not? _

He looked at me like I was stupid. I tend to get that look a lot, but it was usually from Annabeth. _Can't you see? This has been too easy. _

I almost laughed. _Too easy? We just got attacked by a pack of wild eels! We've been walking for hours and we're still stuck in a forest of kelp where we can't even see where we are going! How is this too easy?_

He kept staring at me. _We told you the rumors about this place. Do you honestly believe eels could take out full grown mermaids and Cyclopes? _I hadn't thought about that. _Something – or someone –is holding back. And look around. _I glanced around, but didn't see anything unusual.

_So what? I just see a circle, _I said. Triton scowled at me. _That's the point. This is a perfect circle. This is not natural. Someone set this up for us- Oceanus wants us to get to him. But more important, how would he know that we're going this way?_

_What do you mean? _I asked. Tyson wandered over to us. I was ready to tell him to wait a second for us finish our conversation, but Triton gestured for him to stay. _He knows that were trying to find him at Poseidon's palace. Of course we would be going this way. _

Triton shook his head. _Until you destroyed Keto, we would have been going through the chasm to get to him. Someone has been keeping him informed. Someone close to us. _

I didn't know if he meant to, but it sounded like he was implying that one of my friends was spying on us. He was probably thinking about Annabeth, since she was a daughter of Athena, who had never like Poseidon.

I was sick of trying to find spies within my group of friends. I shook my head defiantly to Triton. _No one that we know would ever be in contact with Oceanus. That is one thing I am sure of._

Tyson voiced his agreement. _They are friends. Friends help each other._

Triton steadily looked at each of us. First me, then Tyson. _Just remember, _he said. _They are not children of Poseidon. You are. _

Before I could respond, Travis yelled in my direction. _Hey Percy, want to take first watch? _

I turned towards him. _Sure, sounds good. _

Triton spoke louder so everyone could hear him. _You all sleep tonight. I'll take first watch._

I wanted to argue that immortals weren't supposed to help us with the quest, but we'd come closer than keeping watch to bending that rule. Besides, a full night's sleep sounded awesome. I gratefully nodded my head.

Soon after that conversation, I began to feel myself getting tired. Annabeth came over to talk to me, though, so I had to stay awake.

We didn't talk for that long, since it was clear that we were both tired. I told her what Triton had said about someone giving Oceanus information about where we were. She looked as distressed as I felt.

_Gods, it's Silena all over again, _she said. _Percy, you know that I would never do that. And neither would Travis or Connor. _It was nice to hear her say that, even though I had already known that it was true. None of my friends would ever do that; Tyson was right.

I kissed Annabeth goodnight and we both drifted off to sleep.

Dreams. One of the few things that I was scared of that I couldn't beat off with Riptide. My dream that night started off normal, but quickly changed.

I was standing in the middle of the ocean. A huge whirlpool whirled around me, blocking everything else from view. All I could see was the blue of the ocean and the white of sea foam surrounding me. Suddenly, the whirlpool died down and I looked around.

I was standing in Poseidon's palace, in a part that I had never been in before. Because of its size, it looked almost like a storage closet, but with one key difference. Most storage closets don't contain the trident of Poseidon.

I was just there before me, glowing like it emitted its own light. However, almost like it could tell that Poseidon was gone, the glowing was dimmer than usual. I felt a rush of anger enter into me. This weapon belonged to my father, not sitting around in a closet where some phony ocean Titan could pick it up and use it.

My dream suddenly melted away to where I was standing facing a Portugese man-of-war. I heard Oceanus's voice behind me, but I was unable to turn around to see him. He sounded mad.

_I could control the ocean with it,_ Oceanus roared. _I would be all-powerful! That slime Jackson and his pesky friends would never be able to beat me. Cure that upstart Poseidon for guarding it!_

I didn't know what "it" was, but if it was making Oceanus mad, then it was fine by me.

The man-of-war made a sort of buzzing noise, and I heard its voice in my mind. _You are already in control of the ocean, _it said patiently. _The trident will not help you much. And Jackson, a silly mortal, does not stand a chance. I have taken our forces to arrange a little surprise for him when he finally arrives. _

_Good, _Oceanus sounded happier. _You are right. Jackson does not stand a- wait. He is here. _I heard a laugh. _Jackson, you heard nothing that I care about, but I commend you for trying to spy on me. Much like I commend your so-called friend for spying on you. Ah, Triton had played his hand well. Now, BEGONE. _He bellowed the last word and I awoke with a start to see Annabeth above me, shaking me to wake up.

I rubbed my eyes. _Percy, _Annabeth said in a strained voice. _Triton is gone._


	18. Chapter 18

**I apologize for the last chapter; I accidentally updated it using the wrong document. It should be fixed by the time you read this, but I'm not sure if people who have this "story alerted" can tell when I replace a chapter, so I am updating instead.**

**On to good news, expect a chapter at some time on Sunday. I make no promises however. As I mentioned last chapter, I do have exams soon.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Here it is, another chapter. Hope you enjoy it. **

**Read, review, enjoy.**

**Diclaimer: I believe it was Josh Joplin Group who said "You're playing you now." I am playing me now. I am not playing RR. **

I sat up quickly. In my dream, Oceanus had basically said that Triton was the spy. Now he was gone? If Triton wasn't helping Oceanus out, then I was having a hard time believing it.

_When did he leave? _I asked.

Connor answered this time. I hadn't noticed before, but he was standing behind Annabeth looking at me. Travis was waking Tyson up.

_We don't know, _he said angrily. _When we woke up this morning, he was just gone. _

_Percy, _Annabeth asked quietly. _Do you think he was the spy?_

I shook my head. _I don't know. I all trust all of you more than him, but he was the one that warned me about his suspicions of there being a spy in the first place. It doesn't make any sense._

Why would Triton warn me about there being a spy if he was one? And if he wasn't the spy after all, then why would he leave us when he said he would take watch? I hated not knowing answers to questions.

Tyson wanted over to me looking confused. _Travis said Triton is the spy. Why would he leave a message? _He pointed about 15 feet away at the ground.

My gaze followed his finger. Scratched out in the sand there was an arrow pointing directly into the kelp.

_Well, _Travis said lightly after noticing the arrow as well. _That looks safe and not like a trap at all. _

_Still, _Annabeth said. _Unless you have a better idea as to how we should get out of this place, we have to take it. Percy, you should go first._

_Come on, _I complained. _Before I've even had breakfast?_

Tyson grinned at me and pulled something out of his bag. _Peanut butter!_

I grimaced. _I'll pass. Fine, let's go. _

I grabbed my stuff and stood in front of the kelp. I checked to make sure Annabeth was right behind, me and she gave me an encouraging nod, as if to say _You got this! Don't get eaten!_

I faced the kelp again and stepped in. I honestly hated being surrounded by the stuff, so I was extremely happy- and surprised- when four steps later I stumbled out into the open ocean.

Annabeth came out right behind me, closely follow by Travis, Connor, and then Tyson. Even though I was still pretty sure that Triton was working for Oceanus, it looked like he had gotten us out of the kelp pretty safely.

Annabeth sighed. _It looks like Triton is trying to get us to Oceanus safely at least. Tyson, where do we go next?_

Tyson pointed almost directly straight ahead. I could see a faint glowing around where he was pointing, a few hill ahead of us.

_Well, _I said. _Let's go get Oceanus- _Then I dropped to my knees and blacked out.

I was standing in Poseidon's throne room, looking down on Triton. He was kneeling at the foot of the throne, which I assumed was being occupied by Oceanus.

_Yes, lord, _I heard Triton say. He looked up and I saw a flash of what looked like anger in his eyes, but they changed back quickly. _The heroes are almost here. Soon, we will be able to crush them._

Oceanus answered distractedly. _Yes, yes, and as promised, you will be able to defeat Jackson. I wish to strike the final blow, however. He has no idea how much trouble he has really caused. How powerful he truly is. _

I opened my eyes. I was at the foot of the hill that we had been standing on when we had come out of the kelp. I heard my friends yelling as they came down the hill, trying to reach me.

I stood up to show them I was alright. A second later they all reached me, Annabeth being first. She punched me.

_Ow! _I said indignantly. _What was that for? _

_Why does this always happen to you? _She said. _One second you were fine, and then you pass out and slide down an entire hill. _

_Bad luck, I suppose. _I answered.

She rolled her eyes but didn't respond. _Why did you pass out?_

I frowned. _I'm not really sure. It was like a dream though; I was in Poseidon's throne room with Oceanus. And guess who was there…_

_Triton, _Connor and Travis said simultaneously. I nodded. _Got it. _

Tyson looked sad. He spent more time with Triton than any of us, so it makes sense that he would more disappointed with him being a traitor. Not just to us, but to Poseidon.

I put my hand on his shoulder, which was a lot harder than it sounds. I really had to stretch. _It's okay, man. Even without Triton, we can still win. _

He still looked sad, but nodded and faced the palace. _Let's go. _He said.

We walked over the next few hills without too many major incidents. I fell down another hill, but this time it wasn't because I passed out. Connor thought it would be funny, so he gave a "helpful shove."

We were about to go over the last rise in the sand before we reached Poseidon's palace. The fires around the forges were growing brighter. I was about to rise to the top of the hill when Annabeth pulled me back down.

_Are you crazy? _She hissed at me.

_Probably, _Travis said.

She glared at him but turned back to me. _What if Oceanus posted look outs? Do you want to send him a letter telling him that we're here?_

_Oh, right…_ I said, feeling pretty stupid. _So what do we do? _

She grinned at me. _Where's Poseidon being held, Tyson?_

_Athena always has a plan. _


	20. Chapter 20

**To ****Nerdygeek138562**** , thank you for the review. I apologize if I didn't make this clear in the story, but I'll give it my best shot now and hope it makes sense. **

**Okay, so Oceanus and Keto are two completely separate rulers of the ocean. Even though they both began to rise when Poseidon was weakened, ****they are not working together****. Keto is merely the goddess of the bad parts of the sea while Oceanus is the Titan of the entire ocean, much like Poseidon is the god of the entire ocean. They have already defeated Keto, because she was not as powerful as Oceanus. However, she did still have some powerful followers (Lamia). Hope that helped.**

**Read, review, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I'm not really RR. His name is Rick. **

Annabeth, Connor, Travis and looked over the top of the hill.

_It doesn't look like there's anyone keeping watch, _Travis said.

Annabeth frowned. _That's not right. There should be someone guarding the palace. At least, that's what I would do. _

I shrugged. _Maybe Oceanus isn't as smart as you are. _

It looked like Annabeth blushed, but that could've been a trick of the light filtering down from the top of the ocean.

_Come on, _she said. _Let's go._

I turned back to Tyson. _We'll be back soon. Come find us if you see anyone coming. _

He nodded. _Good luck, brother. _He said it the way some people would say good-bye, which wasn't very reassuring.

We began walking down the hill, but this time, we were a lot more careful. We were following Connor and Travis for a change. Sneaking into a heavily fortified building was their natural habitat, after all. I was feeling fairly confident about Annabeth's plan, anyways.

_So where to first? _I asked.

_You heard Tyson, _Travis said. _The cell designed to hold in immortals is in the south-east corner. I would put the trident as far away from Poseidon as possible, so it's probably in the north-west corner. That's where we're going now._

_Tyson said there was a secret tunnel that some of the Cyclops use to bring weapons to Poseidon. _Connor added. _That's how we'll get in._

_As long as I can free my father and kick Triton's ass, _I said. _I don't care how we get in. Let's go. _

We all crept carefully towards the castle. The shadow of the castle protected us a little, but we were still very open for anyone to see if they bothered to look. We walked along a wall until suddenly Travis and Connor stopped.

_Why are we stopping? _Annabeth asked. _Someone could come out and see us!_

_Which way is north? _ Travis asked.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. _That way, morons. _

Travis and Connor both looked offended. _Sorry that we didn't bother to pack a compass._

_Just keeping walking. _She muttered.

They continued walking along the same wall, hugging the shadows. Suddenly they stopped again.

Annabeth sighed. _What, did you guys forget how to breathe or something? _

They both shook their heads simultaneously. _No, _Travis said. _We're here, _Connor added.

I looked at the wall, but it didn't look any different than the rest of the wall.

_How do you know? _I asked.

_Can't you feel it? _Travis asked.

I stood still for a minute and listened. I shook my head. _No. I don't feel anything. _

_I guess it's just something children of Hermes know about. Percy, place your hand here please. _

He pointed at the wall, slightly below eye level. I raised my arm and put my hand one the smooth stone. At first, nothing happened. Then a blue-green line shot out from my hand in the stone. It moved upwards quickly and stopped about five feet above my head. It split up- one part went left, one part went right. They both continued on and then made a sudden turn to start moving back towards the ground.

I took my hand off of the wall and stared with amazement. There was now an outline of a door blazing right in front of where I was standing. Even Travis and Connor were impressed.

_Handy to have a son of Poseidon with us when we're breaking into his palace, _Connor said. Travis nodded. _We should remember that, _he added.

I glared at them. _Don't._

They looked down. _Fine, _they said glumly.

Annabeth stepped up to the door and pushed. The stone swung inward so easily that a child could have opened it. I tried to peer inside, but all I could see way darkness. I gestured for Travis and Connor to go first.

_You guys are the experts here, _I said. They stepped inside and looked around. Annabeth and I followed them.

We were in a long, dimly lit hallway. I didn't recognize any of it, but Travis and Connor walked to the left so surely that they must have known where they were going. We followed them.

_Where are you guys going? _I asked.

Travis shrugged. _No idea. We like to plan as we move. Saves time that way. _

Annabeth looked exasperated. _You two are idiots, _she said.

_Oh yeah? Who got us into the castle? _Connor said smugly. Annabeth looked at me.

I shrugged. _They have a point. _

She looked away from me and kept on walking.

We were coming to the end of the long hallway when we all stopped again. This time, it was because of me though. On our right there was a wooden door. Even though it looked like a simple closet, it radiated power. A power that I'd only felt a few times before.

Annabeth, Travis, and Connor stopped after I did. _What is it? _Connor asked.

I grinned at him. _Can't you feel it? Or is it just another special power of the children of Poseidon? The trident is in there. I can feel it. _

Travis stepped up and examined the door. He put his hand close to the door like he was checking to see if it was hot. Connor looked around the lock, which looked old. It was made of a tarnished brass.

_Security level? _Connor asked.

_Nine, _Travis responded.

_Kit number? _

_Seven._

_Magical borders? _

_Three. _

_Dispatch time?_

_Two minutes._

Annabeth and I watched them go back and forth. It was like watching a ping pong match where I had no idea what was going on. Travis pulled something that looked like a wallet out of his back pocket. He opened it up and I could see what looked like a bunch of tiny Allen wrenches, along some more materials that I couldn't name.

_Stand back, _he said. Annabeth and I took his advice and stepped back against the wall. Travis inserted a small metal object into the ancient keyhole and jumped back. There was a small explosion and smoke billowed out of the door for a minute.

_One down, two to go. _Connor said.

I stared at him. _There's two more of those?_

He laughed. _Don't worry, that was the only exploding one. It was meant to make a loud noise and alert the guards. Travis set off the explosion, but he also muted the explosion. No one heard us. _

He stepped up to the door and held his hand up to it. _Percy, Riptide is a magical sword right? _

I didn't like where this was going. _Yes, why?_

_I need to borrow it to deactivate the other two borders. It's a powerful magical weapon, so its presence should make the other traps go haywire. _

I was right; I didn't like it. _Fine, _I said. I handed Riptide over in pen form. He uncapped it and examined it closely. _This should be fine, _he said.

He touched the tip of Riptide to the door. I didn't see anything, but I felt a tremor in the ground and Connor looked satisfied. _One more to go, _he said.

He stuck the op of Riptide into the keyhole. This time absolutely nothing happened, but Connor turned Riptide and pulled the door open.

I grabbed Riptide and stepped inside. This was the exact closet that I had seen in my dreams, and everything was in place.

Sitting against the wall was Poseidon's trident.


	21. Chapter 21

**Remember, I might not be able to post as much for awhile. I have exams this week and then I'm going on vacation, where I will try to write, but I'm not sure if I will be able to post. The good news is that if I'm not able to post, then I should have a bunch of new chapters waiting for you guys. **

**Thank you to everyone who had reviewed, favorited, story alerted, etc.**

**Read, review, but mostly enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure RR is not about to die from the stress that my exams are causing me. I am. By process of elimination, I am not RR.**

The trident was glowing like someone had just finished polishing it. I could feel the power pulsating off it, so much so that it felt like there was a physical force hitting me. I stepped up closer to the trident and examined it.

It was around six feet tall and made of pure Celestial bronze, but with streaks of some kind of gold that I didn't recognize. Now that I right next to the trident, it felt like I was simultaneously being pulled towards and repelled from it. I leaned in close and looked at the designs on the trident: patterns that I had never noticed before, and infinite series of waves swirling around the base and continuing up to the top of the handle. It ended there right before the trident split up into its distinct three-pointed end.

I was sure that this was the way to defeat Oceanus. Any half-blood- maybe even mortals- could feel how powerful this item was. I could instantly see how my father could control something as powerful as the ocean with this weapon. It seemed to contain the entire rage of the ocean which could be unleashed in the hands of the right person.

I was a son of Poseidon. I was that right person.

I reached out and grabbed the trident, my grip tightening around the bronze and golden handle. The second my skin made contact with the metal, however, I felt a heat wave travel through my body. There was a rush in my head and I was forced back so hard and fast that I hit the wall with an audible THUD!

Annabeth rushed to my side. _Percy, are you okay? _She asked, concerned, as she helped me up.

I shook the hit off. _I'm fine. I wasn't expecting it to be this powerful… this hard to control. Let me try again._

_Um, Percy, _said Travis nervously. _Are you sure? You got blasted back pretty hard. _

I nodded vigorously. _This is the only way that we will stand a chance against Oceanus. I have to do this. Besides, Annabeth's plan revolves around this, and her plans never fail, right? _I winked and Annabeth and walked over the trident again.

I reached out to grab it. I felt the warm wave travel through my body, but I was ready for it. I gritted my teeth and grabbed on tighter. The heat may have been powerful, but it still seemed friendly, like it wanted to help.

I felt the force come back to try and knock me down, but I stood my ground. After what felt like an eternity but was probably only seconds, the force died down and I was left standing there holding the trident.

I looked around at my friends. They all looked really impressed, even though Annabeth was trying not to. _Let's go, _she said. _We have to get back to Tyson before they discover him. _

She was right. We walked back out of the closet and rushed back down the hallway. This time, though, we didn't go through the secret door. We were trying to be discovered. We walked carefully down the hallway, peeking around to see if anyone was there. We were in luck; there was an open room, where two telekhines were standing at a table looking at some map. I had thought that the telekhines all got destroyed or cast into Tartarus after Kronos had been defeated, but I guess some of them hung around with Oceanus. It makes sense, them being sea-demons.

We snuck up behind them. I looked at Connor and silently mouthed a countdown: THREE, TWO, ONE.

At one, Connor hit the first telekhine with the butt of his sword. Not hard to make him unconscious, but hard enough to hut. I took out Riptide and cut the head clean off of the second one. Hey, we only needed one to raise the alarm, and we might as well get rid of as many as we can.

The one that I killed slowly disintegrated as the one that Connor hit got back up. He looked at us nervously. He was young and it was easy to see that he was nervous. But he advanced shakily on us. We turned and fled as he looked stunned.

_Yeah, you better run! _He said. The louder, he yelled out _Intruders! Intruders in the building! Follow them!_

All of sprinted down the room back into the hallway and turned the corner. We kept running into the first hallway until reached the secret door. I put my hand on the stone where the door should be. The outline of the door slowly began to light up.

Don't get me wrong, we were faster than the telekhine easily. However, when we had to wait for the door to open, he caught up. We saw him turn the corner and come up after us. He was still yelling as loud as he could and I could hear the beating of many feet coming from somewhere else in the castle. Finally, a few seconds before the telekhine reached us, the door opened. We pushed through and ran out, not bothering to take cover this time.

I could still the telekhine shouting, his voice growing more confident with each step he took as we continued to run away from him. _They're outside! Alert Oceanus! Prepare for battle!_

I allowed myself a grim smile as the door closed, obscuring us from the telekhine's view. Annabeth and I continued until we met Tyson standing on top of the hill.

We stopped for a minute to catch out breaths. I told Tyson what had happened and showed him the trident that I was still holding in my left hand, with Riptide still in my right.

_Good, _Tyson said. _Plan is working. And you will need trident soon. _He pointed behind me and I turned to look.

Filing out of the castle was more sea monsters than I had ever seen in my life. And they were all headed straight for us.


	22. Chapter 22

**So I am in Florida right now, exams are over, and life is pretty good. Here's another chapter to (hopefully) make it better for you. **

**Read, review, enjoy.**

**Thank you to all of those who have reviewed, favorite, alerted, etc. Special thanks to those who have been reviewing consistently. **

I know that I'm not the best at math, but I could tell that we were sorely outnumbered. That's why I know that I was being crazy when I charged the army.

I stared at the army advancing towards us. I switched Riptide into my left hand and moved the trident into my right. I don't know why, but I just had this feeling that it should be in my strong hand. It would be more powerful that way.

Once I was ready to fight, I charged. For the record, that is NOT a smart tactic for battles if your outnumbered about one hundred to one. Still, I ran straight into the pack of monsters.

Some of the monsters I knew. There were telekhines and other sea monsters, as well a small group of Portugese man-of-war, led by the one I had seen in my dreams. Then there were monsters that I had never even seen. There were huge sea monsters that were bright, vibrant colors and covered in stripes or spots. There were some with what looked like the body of and eel and a head of a pirhana, and many more that I couldn't even begin to describe.

I ran towards a pack of telekhines leading the army and slashed with Riptide. I cut into one's chest, but it wasn't a strong enough hit to kill him. Then I swung the trident.

I had never fought with a trident before, but it felt like a natural extensions of my body. I was weilding one of the most powerful weapons ever created, and I was weilding in my territory. I barely even had to think to move the trident. With that bronze and golden blur of pure destruction in my right hand and Riptide in my left, I felt nearly unstoppable.

When I swung the trident, I hit one of the telekhines on the head with the side of one of the prongs. When it connected, the trident hummed with energy and power and exploded, disentigrating the telekhine instantly. His telekhine friends were blasted backwards, and the one that I had cut earlier was killed when he slammed into the ground.

I stared at where the telekhines had stood a second earlier, then back at the trident in my hand. It seemed to vibrate a little in my hand, like it was ready for battle. I moved towards the army and waded into a sea of monsters, slashing and stabbing may way through. Monster after moster disentigrated in my wake as I moved the through the army. My friends were just reaching the army lines and were drawing their weapons. They charged in and began fighting, but I quickly lost sight of them.

Usually, I grow tired quickly in battle. But it felt like the trident was feeding me energy. I was almost getting stronger as the battle waged on, and my invulnerability made it impossible for anything to get past my skin. Still, I got injured though.

As I was darting through the army, killing a squad of the eel-pirhanas, a pair of them snuck up behind. I heard them a second to late and whirled around, accidentally brushing them in the process. The stupid animals had the body of an electric eel, and they hit me with a supercharged shock of electricity.

I fell to my knees, momentarily stunned. Then I shook my head to clear it and stood up. I stabbed the bottom of the trident onto the sea floor and the monsters surround me went flying back. This time, it wasn't because of an explosion, but because a current pulsed out around me.

That's interesting, I thought. I wonder if I can step it up a little bit.

Just then, one of the huge sea monsters that I had seen earlier appeared in front of me. It reared its ugly orange head and eyed me. I raised the trident and held it t the monster so that the three prongs were directly facing the monster. Almost of its own will, the trident flew out of my hand and impaled itself in the monsters huge head.

The monster howled in pain as the trident flew back to my outstretched head. Even though it had been a big hit, the monster was so huge that it was still alive. I stabbed a telekhine trying to sneak up on me with Riptide and then pointed the trident at the monster once again.

The monster was zooming towards me with its mouth open. I could see rows and rows of sharp teeth, perfect for tearing a Percy-size bite out of something. I concentrate on the ocean around m e, the currents rippling and moving around. I felt the power surrounding me and channeled it into the power that I held in my hand.

The water around began to churn and swirl. Slowly at first, then faster and faster. All I could was the roar of the ocean in my ears. The huge orange monster that had been rushing towards me was buffeted by the currents surrounding me and impaled against a rocky cliff, where it slowly began to disintegrate.

All of the other monsters around trying to get past the current to reach me, but none of them could get past. I let the water die down as I saw Annabeth running towards me, Tyson trailing behind her. Annabeth was using her Celestial bronze dagger to stab any monster that got in her way, and Tyson was hitting any monster that was stupid enough to get close to him. They were both rushing towards me, but suddenly the right and left flanks of the monster closed up between us. I could no longer see them; there was a small army separating us. I flew at the line, slashing my way through.

I got buzzed one more time by an eel, and one smart monster threw some sand in my eyes so I was momentarily blinded. I blinked the sand away, stabbed the monster with Riptide, and continued on to reach Annabeth.

Right as I fought my way into a circle of monsters that were surrounding Annabeth and Tyson, I saw a hammerhead shark knock Tyson down. Annabeth was fighting desperately, but they were surrounding. I yelled out to her.

_Stay there! I'm coming!_ I yelled out to her. I hoped she heard me through the clash of steel and the roar of monsters.

She shook her head before responding. _It's no good! _She shouted back. _We need more strength!_

The second she said that, a bright light appeared in the ocean. It started off as a small red ball, and then expanded until everyone was blinded. I couldn't see anything; my vision was entirely composed of red. There was a sudden explosion and everyone was blasted back. I hit the ground and felt a piranha-eel land on top of me. I groped around until I found Riptide, which had fallen out of my hand, and stabbed the creature. It dissolved with a wail as I turned back towards the light, which was now dimming. I squinted.

Through the light, which was rapidly growing dimmer, I could make out the silhouette of another small army.


	23. Chapter 23

**I believe that this is my longest chapter yet, and I also believe that it is one of my best. Hopefully you guys like it. As always, thanks to those who have reviewed, alerted, favorite, etc. **

**Read, Review, Enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: As far as I know, I am not RR. **

The army stood in the middle of the battle. It seemed as if time itself had frozen. No one was moving. Everyone- my friends and Oceanus's army alike- was looking the newcomers.

Then, a familiar voice rang out in my mind. _Demigods, to arms! We fight to defend Poseidon!_

A cheer rose up from the new army. The light died down completely and I realized exactly what I was looking at. Standing before me were all of the demigods from Camp Half-Blood. Fifty campers ready to fight with me, and they were led by none other than Clarisse, who had refused to even come on the quest in the first place.

_Clarisse!_ Annabeth exclaimed. _What are you doing here? How did you-?_

Clarisse cut her off with a wave of her hand. _Daughter of strength at your service. _

The lines of the prophecy echoed in my mind: _Daughter of strength will not go wrong._

_Anyway_, Clarisse continued_. I'll fill you in later. We have a battle to win!_

The demigods behind her cheered at the same time as Oceanus's army began to regain their senses. The Portuguese man-of-war that I had seen in my dreams hissed out his orders. _Attack!_

Even though we were still outnumbered, the odds were a little better now. This was the most united I had seen the camp since Silena had died.

Oceanus's army rushed forward. The demigods of Camp Half-Blood raised their weapons as one and began to fight the oncoming army.

As always, Clarisse fought like a demon. Her new electric spear kept shooting off little tendrils of electricity, which conducted excellently in the water and destroyed a couple of demons. She stabbed her way through a pack of monsters, and charged straight at a huge purple monster the size of a house.

I turned away and looked at the rest of Camp Half-Blood's army. Everyone fighting was well rested, and right now that was showing. Oceanus's demons were getting tired and slowing down. We were absolutely destroying them.

It looked we were going to win. I was still cutting through demons like I was mowing the grass, Tyson was knocking them down as fast they were appearing, and everyone else was putting in their fair share. There was no monster that could stop us. For once, it looked like we weren't the underdogs.

Then I heard it. A noise like a hundred drums beating at once. It started off low and sounding far off, so I wasn't sure if I really heard it or not. Gradually it increased. Other campers began to hear it and a look of complete fear flashed across their faces. I don't know why, but I was getting scared too.

The sound was ancient. It struck me to the core and reverberated around my very being. Oceanus's army cheered like they knew what was going to happen next.

The ocean tore itself apart. That's what it looked like, anyway. A rip in the ocean appeared, and I could feel the currents around it fighting against each other. They were like angry sharks, snapping at each other and constantly fighting. I couldn't even control the water. It was too powerful, too chaotic.

Out of the tear in the ocean burst a chariot. The chariot was solid Celestial bronze and pulled by two huge crawfish. I mean huge as in big enough to crush me just by sitting on me. Still, the scariest thing is what was inside the chariot.

Standing in the chariot was Oceanus. He looked like a merman, but twice as large as normal. He had a flowing beard that would have been pure white if it wasn't covered in barnacles and seaweed. He was wearing standard Greek battle attire, minus the helmet. I doubt he could wear a helmet anyway because placed on top of head were two huge bull horns. They looked a little crooked, like a child had set them on wrong. When he laughed, I could see his teeth, which looked even sharper than a shark's. Even though he was thousands of years old, he looked in shape, which I guess is an advantage of being immortal. He held the reins to his chariot in one hand. In the other, he wielded what appeared to be a live serpent. I looked closer and the serpent hissed and morphed into a spear. The weapon flickered, constantly changing from a spear to a serpent.

Oceanus rode his chariot behind his army, and by some unseen signal the few of them that remained turned and retreated so that they were behind him. It looked like Oceanus still had about seventy or so monsters that were ready to fight.

Oceanus laughed, and it felt like the sea laughed with him. _So, half-bloods, _he said. _You were able to find me. I did not expect you to bring an army, but no matter. That just means more of you cursed demigods will suffer. Now tell me, WHERE IS PERCY JACKSON? _He bellowed the last few words, and it felt like the current was buffeting me. One demigod fell over and a few others staggered backwards.

I stepped forward. _Here I am. _I meant it to sound threatening, but it came out a little higher than I would have liked. Oceanus laughed.

_The mighty hero! The savior of Olympus! The demigod who destroyed Kronos has humbled himself enough to be in my presence. You certainly don't look like much, do you? _He asked.

_Thanks, _I muttered.

He continued. _No matter! I hope you are more challenging than you appear- what is that? _His eyes narrowed and his voice got deeper. I followed his gaze and noticed that he was looking at the trident in my right hand.

_The curse,_ he muttered, almost to himself. _It should have been impossible for anyone other than Poseidon to touch it. I tried it and failed. Perhaps you are more than you appear…_

_FOOL!_ Oceanus bellowed, and once again I could the ocean rushing towards me, trying to knock me back. Demigods around me were knocked down. I focused on the ocean and the power of the trident and suddenly the sea calmed. Oceanus regarded me carefully.

_You're powers are greater than I believed if you can wield the trident. Still, I look forward to a challenge. I am the undying lord of the ocean. _

_No, _I said, raising Riptide and the trident. _Poseidon is. And as his son, it is my duty to defend it from usurpers like you. _

Oceanus laughed. _You father is the usurper! I controlled the ocean long before he was born! Why should it not be rightfully mine? I did not fight against the gods in the first war. _

I lowered my weapons. He was like Calypso. He had done nothing in the first war, but he was banished. He had been stripped of his title as ruler of the ocean and cast off into the depths. Why should my father be allowed to simply take over his throne?

I thought about all the gods had done. How they had ruled before and how they had promised to change after the war. _The gods were unjust after the first war,_ I said. _You and many others were punished when you deserved none. But now, you have chosen to fight. You backed Kronos in the last war and even now you fight against the gods. They are changing. They are more just. Poseidon has been a fair ruler. He has allowed you to live in his domain. The ocean belongs to him. Leave now and I promise no harm will come to you._

For a second Oceanus hesitated. Then he laughed. _I will not fall for your words, Perseus. I will defeat you in battle like I defeated your father. I am a TITAN. _He roared at the last word and held up his fist that was holding his spear/serpent thing.

A blast of pure power hit me. I was blasted back twenty yard, and if it wasn't for my invincibility, I would have died. I got up right as Oceanus hit me with another blast. I shot backwards into a rock. My body ached. Another blast came towards me, but I focused on the trident. I looked at the design etched into the metal and remembered my power. This was my territory.

I stopped the current hurdling towards me. I closed my eyes and focused on my will. The current went shooting back towards Oceanus, but he knocked it aside with a wave of his hand. I propelled myself forward, dodging another blast from Oceanus, and landed before him.

Oceanus yelled out an order. _Attack!_ The monsters behind him surged forward and towards me. My friends, who has been watching with wide eyes until then, also moved forwards. They intercepted the army and Annabeth came rushing towards my side.

_Percy, _she said. _Come on! We fight together!_

I shook my head. _They need you to fight with them. I'll take care of him. _

She looked at me like she wanted to punch me, but kissed me and ran off before I could say anything. The classic demigod kiss for good luck.

I faced Oceanus. He grinned and threw another current at me. I rolled out of the way and came up with the trident pointed at him. Just as I was about to unleash a blast of water, Oceanus stabbed at me with his spear. Right when the spear got close to me, it morphed into the serpent. It snapped at me with huge white teeth, but I jumped backwards. Then Oceanus lowered his hand.

There was suddenly this unbelievable pressure on top of me. It felt like I was bearing the weight of the world… literally. I fell to my knees and began to see spots. Time slowed down.

I couldn't see. I couldn't think. All I could feel was pain. I knew that I couldn't last for much longer. Then I heard my name cut through the ocean. _Percy!_ It was Annabeth, calling towards me. I needed to fight this off. I had to win- for my friends, for my father, for myself.

I struggled up. When I stood up and locked my knees, the pressure vanished. I looked up just in time to see another current rippling towards me, ready to blast me backwards. I was ready to go on the offensive now.

I caught the current with Riptide and sent it straight back towards Oceanus. This time he let it hit him, but he didn't even move when it touched. He laughed as I ran towards him. When I was still twenty feet away, I threw the trident at him.

Oceanus wasn't expecting it. He was still standing there waiting for me when the trident pierced his shoulder. It flew back to my hand as Oceanus roared with pain. Golden Ichor dripped from his wound.

He looked at me with venom in his eyes. _For that, you will die painfully. _He lowered his hand again and the pressure grew. I fell to my knees again as Oceanus attended his would.

I knew I could beat this. I had gotten past it once, I could do it again.

I was in the middle of struggling to my feet when something came flying though the ocean out of nowhere. It hit me at top speed and I went flying through the ocean along with it. I was going so fast I couldn't look around me. We crashed into a wall of Poseidon's palace that was being rebuilt and straight through.

We landed in an open room in the palace as the wall collapsed behind us. The pressure was gone.

I got to my feet and looked around to see who- or what- had carried me away.

Lying on the ground, his sword in hand, was Triton.


	24. Chapter 24

**As we approach the end of this story, I would like to thank everyone for their feedback. I was able to go from receiving maybe one review per chapter to about four or five. I really appreciate it. Hopefully everyone reading this author's note has enjoyed this story.**

**Read, review, but mostly enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: Imagine that these characters are action figures. Or dolls. I'm simply toying with them for a bit, putting them in certain situations. They're not my dolls though. **

Before I knew what was happening, I had jumped on Triton. I forced the trident in my right hand up to his throat, making it so it was hard for him to breath.

_Traitor, _I growled. _We trusted you and you betrayed us. Worst of all, you betrayed our father! How could you go against Poseidon?_

Triton started to answer, but I forced the trident closer to his throat. _Think carefully before you speak, _I warned. _Because if I don't like the answer, this trident could be the last thing you see in a long, long time. Immortals may not be able to die, I know firsthand that they can be hurt. _

Triton glared at me. _I am NOT working for Oceanus. _He said.

I almost laughed. _That's your defense? I saw you with Oceanus in a dream! You refused to fight in any of our battles! It makes sense now- the reason you didn't fight was not because you were bound by ancient laws, but because you were actually rooting for the monsters. _

_Wait just a minute, _Triton protested. However, I wasn't finished yet.

_I already knew that you didn't like me. That, I can understand at least. But betraying our father? And to Oceanus? Ridiculous. _

_STOP!_ Triton thundered. I felt the water in front of me harden, becoming like a wall. The wall pushed its way forward and I was thrown back a few yards.

I landed on my feet and immediately pointed the trident at Triton. The water around the trident began to glow and vibrate.

_Stop! _Triton repeated. _Don't you want us to help your friends?_

That calmed me down. Even if I was pissed, my friends needed my help. _What do you care? _I asked suspiciously.

Triton sighed. _We don't have much time. Have you ever heard of the famous phrase, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?" Good advice. I was keeping Oceanus close, making sure that he didn't have any surprises for us. Good thing I did._

I did not like the sound of that. _Why is that a good thing? _I asked.

_Over the past few days, Oceanus had been slowly opening a pit to Tartarus. _He said. _He has been waiting until it becomes big enough to contain the power of a god. He was planning on sending Poseidon down there in chains. _

I felt a chill. It seemed like the temperature had dropped ten degrees.

_Where is the pit? _I asked. I almost didn't want to know.

Triton jerked his head to the right. _Behind the palace. _

_What do we do about it? _I asked. I was honestly scared. I've seen Tartarus before; I've seen pits that lead to Tartarus. All of them have the same feel: ancient, cold, draining. It's like whatever is down there is sucking the life out of you. I was not eager to see it again.

To my surprise, Triton grinned. _I'm glad you asked. If the pit is large enough to contain a god, I'm sure it could contain a Titan. Only, of course, if we seriously injured the Titan first and taxed his power. _

Triton was slowly regaining my trust. Still, I would have been a fool if I immediately trusted him again. I was still suspicious.

_How do I know that I can trust you? _ I asked. Triton pointed out of the hole that we had created when we crashed into the palace.

I looked through the hole. I could see my friends desperately fighting. Most of them were still fighting the army, but a brave few of them were trying to fend off Oceanus. And they were failing.

I saw Clarisse leading a small group against the Titan. Annabeth and Tyson were both in the group, along with a few more kids from the Ares cabin. There were others I couldn't recognize from this far out. As I watched, Oceanus threw the serpent he carried in his hand. It swam towards the group, picking up speed. At the last second, it transformed into a spear and hit someone. Hard.

_They need us, _Triton said. _They'll never be able to deal with Oceanus on their own. And also, I know about your plan. _

My eyes widened. _How?_

_I ran into them on my way to find you. I told them the same things I said to you and then let them go. _His voice hardened. _I would have loved to help them, but I had to help hold off Oceanus. _

_Does Oceanus- _I began.

_He doesn't know. _He cut me off before I could finish. _It was a good idea. That Annabeth girl is clever. _He allowed a small note of admiration to enter his voice before quickly dispelling it. _For a daughter of Athena. _He added.

_Yes, the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy. _I muttered.

He ignored me. _Do you want to help them or not?_

I didn't bother answering. I started moving through the hole in the wall, swimming quickly towards my friends. Triton followed me.

We landed behind the group that was leading the charge on Oceanus. The Titan was laughing and knocking them aside like bowling pins.

_Stand down! _Triton roared. The group that was fighting Oceanus stopped in surprise. I counted a little less than ten of them. A few of them looked back at us. I saw Tyson tightening his grip on his club when he noticed Triton.

Oceanus was seething with anger. _Triton! _He boomed. _You are supposed to be getting rid of your father! Has Poseidon already been cast into Tartarus?_

Triton met Oceanus's gaze with a steely determination that impressed. _I am loyal to my father and my home. _He said calmly. _And you are trying to destroy them. _

He held out his hand and a spear began to form out of the water. It materialized into a wooden shaft with iron ribbing and a Celestial bronze tip.

Triton leapt over the group of my friends and charged Oceanus. The Titan lowered his own spear and waited for Triton to advance. Triton raised his spear in the air and the sunlight hit off of the tip, reflecting wildly.

Suddenly the light magnified a thousand times. I was blinded. I had been in the presence of a god's immortal form before, but this was something else.

The light died down. Triton had vanished. Oceanus, who had also been blinded by the light, looked around furiously. _Where is he!_ He yelled to no one.

Triton fell from the sky- technically the ocean- and landed on top of Oceanus, his spear tearing into Oceanus's left arm. Oceanus roared and Triton was blasted back by a wall of pure force.

By this time, I had recovered from my surprise and begun charging moving at Oceanus. I ran my friends, who were also stunned. They saw me run by and then started following.

Together, we raced to face the Titan.


	25. Chapter 25

**I'm really sorry for how long this took, but I was at a lacrosse camp with no way to post a new chapter. Thank you all for your patience- not that you had a choice. **

**To **Mythomagic-Champion**, I have not yet decided whether or not to write a sequel. If anyone reading this would like one, please let me know in a review. (You might to wait until the end though- there will be slight twist that could make either a really good or a really bad sequel.) But while I'm responding to you, I want to thank you for all of your reviews that you have put in. You have easily been my most consistent reviewer, and I really appreciate that. **

**To everyone else who had reviewed, favorite, story alerted, etc. I thank you as well, especially other consistent reviewers. **

**Read, review, enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: I'm just sitting here, playing with Rick Riordan's dolls.**

Oceanus lunged out of his chariot and propelled himself with his merman's tail. He landed in front of our group with a thud on the ocean floor. Everyone charging with me stopped in surprise, except for Clarisse.

Of course, being a daughter of Ares, Clarisse didn't even slow down. She ran forward and stabbed at him with her electric spear. He knocked her spear aside with his own and held up his hand. A blast of blue energy pulsated out of his palm and shot straight at Clarisse.

She lunged to one side- which was an amazing reaction, considering how close she was to him- and out of the way of the blast. She turned her lunge into a somersault and rolled up, slashing out with her spear at the same time.

The tip of her spear grazed against his elbow a volt of electricity shot out into Oceanus. He shuddered for a second, almost like he was having a seizure, but the shook the shock off quickly.

He shot out another burst of blue energy. This time, however, it hit Clarisse square in the chest before she could move. She was knocked back thirty yards and didn't get up.

I wanted to help her, but I had a god to save. I raised Riptide and charged at Oceanus. Annabeth and Will Solace from the Apollo Cabin followed behind me.

Will stopped short and notched an arrow on his quiver. He aimed for a quick second and then released. I honestly wasn't sure how well the arrow would shoot underwater, but it flew through the water just as well as in air.

The second before the arrow hit Oceanus, the tip erupted into a glowing golden net. It wrapped around Oceanus. The net looked pretty thin, so I was surprised when Oceanus howled and thrashed around.

The serpent that he was wielding at the moment began chewing through the net, but it didn't seem to be making any headway. I ran at Oceanus and stabbed at him through the net, but he turned at the last moment and I only hit off of his armor.

Annabeth, who had been running a step behind me, got in close and stabbed with her own blade. The knife went directly through one of the squares in the golden net and hit Oceanus in the side.

He howled again as Ichor flowed out of his wound. He looked directly at my eyes, and I could see pure hatred flowing out of there. There was a whirlpool of blue and white in his eyes, staring me down.

_Titans are dangerous, _he warned me, sounding like he was about to erupt. _Wounded Titans are infinitely more dangerous. We have nothing to lose. _

I did not like the sound of that. Oceanus yelled and began glowing. He was literally burning up, turning pure white as his rage grew.

He was moving into his immortal form. A god had once told me that the immortal form of a Titan was so powerful that anyone in its presence would instantly be destroyed. Whatever would actually happen, I didn't want to stick around and find out.

Oceanus was changing. The net that had been containing him dissolved away like it was made of paper. I raised the trident.

A bolt of electricity shot down from the top of the ocean. This was bright green and supercharged with a power that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. The lightning hit the tip of the trident and redirected- directly into Oceanus.

He suddenly stopped where he was. The light surrounding him died down I glimpsed a quick view of him before he was forced back and fell on the ocean floor.

Oceanus's beard was singed from his attempted transformation. His metal armor was half melted, and he was sputtering about how unfair the situation was.

Will looked at the dissolving net and apologized to me. _Sorry, _he said. _The Imperial Golden net is meant to hold gods, not Titans. _

I shrugged. _It held him off. Probably saved my life. _

At that moment, Oceanus got up, still stumbling around and cursing the power of Poseidon. He was shaking his head to clear it when I saw Katie from the Demeter Cabin, who had also charged Oceanus with us.

She picked up the spear that Clarisse had dropped when she had been thrown backwards. I had never seen her actually do much at camp, but she threw the spear better than I could. If Oceanus hadn't knocked it away with a growl, then it would have hit him square in the chest.

Oceanus yelled out again and a wave of pure force erupted out of him. Everyone around was knocked to the ground, and Katie was thrown back.

I got and tried to charge Oceanus again, but another wall of force hit me and set me flying back. The trident fell out of my hand. I struggled to get up, but Oceanus waved his hand and another ton of water pressure was placed over me.

From the sound of it, the same thing had happened to my friends. I took a deep breath and tried to stand up, but it was no use.

It felt like I had the world on my shoulder- in two ways. Everyone was counting on this quest, whether they knew it or not, and it literally felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders.

There was nothing I could. I would die here, trapped beneath cold, hard irony. The very thing that had saved my life so many times was now crushing me.

All around me, I could see my friends. Some were on their knees, others simply lying on the ground. They were all gasping for breath and their faces were slowly turning red as they tried to stand up.

Oceanus laughed and threw a blue bolt of energy at Tyson, who was still struggling to stand. It knocked him back to the ground. He was just toying with us now. He knew that he had won.

I heard Annabeth's voice in my mind. It sounded strained, like she too was fighting against the water.

_Remember, _she gasped. I realized that she was projecting her thoughts to everyone. _Athena always has a plan._

Oceanus's smile faded. For a second, all I could see was red, so I couldn't tell why.

Then my vision cleared. The pressure was lifted. I looked up at Poseidon's palace. There, coming as fast as they possibly could, were two figures.

I scrambled to my feet and grabbed the trident. I was still breathing hard, but Annabeth's plan had worked. Now we had a fighting chance.

I swung the trident. _Now, _I said. _We have some fun. _


	26. Chapter 26

**We're approaching the end! Just so you all are aware, I am expecting to have a little under 30 chapters. **

**Again, thanks for all of the feedback that I received on the last chapter. It was really good to hear, and they were very complimentary. **

**Read, review, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I sure hope I'm not Rick Riordan. I would have an awful lot to explain to my family about why I'm secretly over 40…**

Travis and Connor were sprinting away from the palace faster than I had ever seen them before. They ran up to us and stopped ten yards away from Oceanus, panting.

_Sorry we're late, _Connor said, breathing heavily. _But better late than never, right? _

_Yeah, _Travis added. He looked directly towards Oceanus and grinned. Oceanus growled back. _But don't worry; we brought a friend to the party. _

My grin widened.

Suddenly, there was a tugging sensation in my hand. The trident was pulling itself away. It strained crazily against me, like it wanted to leave.

Oceanus was trying to take it away from me. I pulled back, gritting my teeth. But it was too much. The trident jerked out of my hands.

It sped along in the water, landing directly in the outstretched hand of Poseidon.

The god looked younger and stronger than he had before. He was dressed in Greek battle armor that seemed to fit him perfectly. His hair and beard were black and flowing in the current. His eyes looked stormy and dangerous.

On his head, instead of a battle helm, there was a thin crown. It was a thin circle of rough coral that glowed in the water, showing off many colors.

Poseidon raised his trident in the air and bellowed the single loudest word I have ever heard: _OCEANUS!_

The sea itself shook. From the tip of the trident a tornado of water emerged, circling over Poseidon's head. The rage of the ocean was contained in that single word.

They say the ocean is fickle and unpredictable, but at that moment the ocean only had one mood: anger.

_Daddy!_ Tyson cried happily as Poseidon let the ocean settle.

Poseidon voice was warmer, but his eyes were cold and hard as steel. They never left Oceanus as he responded.

_Stand back, son. This is my battle._

When he said that, he probably wanted me to stay back too. But hey, I've never been one to follow orders.

Poseidon swung around to face Oceanus. Oceanus looked at him with pure rage.

Oceanus yelled. An underwater volcano behind him somewhere erupted, and I saw lava quickly turning to rock as it spa t out into the ocean.

Oceanus then held out his hands perpendicular to his side and swung them both forward. The water surrounding us moved forward with his hands and headed straight towards Poseidon. If I had been standing there, I would have been blown back and probably never seen from again.

Poseidon simply flicked his trident and the water died down. He extended his trident forward, and from the largest point a deadly laser of green energy shot out, straight at Oceanus.

Oceanus responded with a bolt of his own. The two met in mid air in a supercharged explosion.

When the separate energies collided, I wanted to cry. It felt like the very ocean was fighting against itself, like it was being torn in two. The world that I knew so well felt unfamiliar, uncommon, alien. I dropped to my knees. I had splitting headache from feeling the ocean fight itself.

Oceanus shot out another burst of energy and Poseidon deflected it off of his own trident. The bolt went shooting past us, far off into the ocean.

By this time, a crowd had gathered and was watching the fight. Only a few of Oceanus's army had remained, but were quickly being finished off by the demigods of Camp Half-Blood.

Despite the splitting headache and the feeling of how wrong this was, I got up on my feet. I looked up and saw something heading towards Poseidon from behind.

It was the pink and blue shape of the Portuguese man of war that led Oceanus's army. It was trying to sneak up behind Poseidon.

_No way in hell, _I said. I launched myself towards the pinkish-blue blob that was moving slowly towards Poseidon.

Luckily the thing just sort of drifted along, so it wasn't very fast. I caught up with it quickly and tackled it, making sure to avoid the tentacles. I pushed it backwards, and then kicked off of its head to push myself away.

Like I said earlier, it could really only drift along, but I guess Oceanus decided to help him out. The man of war must have been able to control the current to make it move, because suddenly a cold current appeared. The man of war was moving towards me with its tentacles waving out in front.

There was no way I would let those things touch me. I propelled myself backwards as I slashed with Riptide. I cut off the ends of a few of the tentacles, but it didn't seem to hurt it at all. If anything, the man of war sped up in the current.

I pushed myself backwards again. I couldn't keep this up. Eventually, one of the tentacles would hit me. As I was thinking that, the speed of the current increased. The man of war sped up, and one of its many tentacles grazed my left arm.

It burned. When I looked down, there was red welt already starting to form. I couldn't last for much longer. Then I remembered something.

_I _controlled the currents too. I was a son of Poseidon. There was no way this blob of jelly could match me!

I concentrated around me. I thrust the water out, countering the current that was bringing the man of war close to me. The water stopped for a second when the two currents met, as if they were struggling, and then the current continued on towards me.

I stopped for a second. Time slowed down. I closed my eyes and truly concentrated, forgetting about the battle going on around me. I willed the current to move forward, getting rid of the man of war.

I let all of my power out with a burst of energy. The current that I sent rushed forward didn't even slow down when it met up with the current the man of war had sent out. It continued forward until it hit the man of war, punching it backwards.

I didn't let the current slowdown. In fact, I made it speed up. I continued pushing until the man of war was out of sight.

There. It would take the thing at least a year to push itself back here. I turned back toward Poseidon and Oceanus, who had been fighting this entire time. The water was lighting up with flashes of green and blue.

It was time to help my father.


	27. Chapter 27

**This is not the final chapter. I will still have probably two more or so, so don't worry.**

**As always, thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorite, story alerted, etc.**

**Read, review, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Don't believe what people tell you. I'm not as cool as RR.**

**Also, I threw a little joke in the first paragraph. I figured, why not?**

Normally, diving into the middle of a fight between two immortal beings is not something that you want to do. Side effects often include death, injury, and erectile dysfunction (often due to death.)

Also, when one of those immortals warns you to stay back, it might be a good idea to listen. However, I've been good at listening or following directions.

Naturally, I jumped right in the middle of them. A blue flash of energy flew over my shoulder and smashed into a rock behind me, turning it into rubble. Poseidon responded by point his trident over my head and letting loose and green blast of his own, narrowly missing Oceanus.

I charged forward straight at Oceanus. He threw another blue bolt at me, but I deflected it off of Riptide and kept on going. I slashed at Oceanus, but he blocked it with his spear.

The spear began wriggling, turning into a serpent. The serpent hissed at me and knocked me aside. Oceanus yelled and the bottom of the ocean- rocks, shells, sand- began swirling up around Poseidon. There was a whirlwind around him, effectively blinding him.

As he was blinded, Oceanus lowered his bull horns and charged at Poseidon. Poseidon dispelled the whirlwind and looked up, only to see Oceanus rushing towards him.

I was watching all of this from where I had been knocked down. I thought for sure that Oceanus would skewer Poseidon, but Poseidon thrust his hand out- palm first- straight at the charging Titan. His hand hit his head right between where Oceanus's horns grew.

The second Poseidon touched Oceanus head, there was a small explosion and they were both thrown backwards. Oceanus landed a little bit in front of me.

I charged at him with Riptide held high, ready for a stab that would hurt even a Titan. Oceanus must have heard me coming, because he whirled around and stabbed at me with his serpent. I tried to deflect his stab with Riptide, but I guess serpents are as sturdy at spears.

I cut straight through the serpent. It looked at me with surprise and gave one last hiss before dissolving into the ocean.

Oceanus looked stunned at he stared at his empty hands. _Jackson, _he said. His voice wasn't mad. It was calm and deadly. _I have had that spear for longer than humans have existed. For that alone, I will make your death much more painful than it has to be. _

_Stand down, Titan. _A voice behind us said. _My son will live. You, however, I make no promises. _Poseidon was up. He was standing with his trident poised, ready to throw.

Oceanus lifted his head up to laugh. As his neck was exposed, Poseidon released his grip on the trident. It flew out of his hand and straight at Oceanus.

The middle point of the trident pierced Oceanus directly in the neck. He was cut off mid-laugh and fell to his knees, looking like he was choking.

Golden Ichor dripped out of the wound. For a second, I thought that he would stay down, but of course not. He got to his feet and pulled the trident out of his neck.

The wound spurted Ichor for a second, but Oceanus muttered something under his breath and the wound began to heal.

Poseidon held out his hand and the trident returned to him. He walked slowly towards Oceanus. Oceanus pushed forward with his hands and the water around him rushed towards Poseidon, but it parted around him like a stone in a stream.

Poseidon walked up to right in front of Oceanus, who was still trying to control the water and force it to push Poseidon back.

Poseidon raised his trident and struck Oceanus on the head with the butt of his weapon. The Titan tried to block it, but it was useless.

The trident hit Oceanus in his temple and knocked him out cold. The "crack" echoed around the ocean like a gunshot. Right before he went down, I saw a flash of fear in his eyes.

Oceanus hit the ground hard. A small tremor in the ocean occurred when he hit the bottom. Everyone was silent for a moment. Then Tyson spoke.

_What do we do with him? _

Poseidon looked up and caught his eye. _We send him to Tartarus. It's time for him to rejoin his brothers. _

Poseidon raised his hands and the water lifted up Oceanus's unconscious body.

_Let's take him out back, _he said. Everyone around us looked confused. Annabeth, who had come to stand by me after Oceanus was knocked out, voiced the question that everyone was asking.

_Umm, why would we go to the back of the palace? _

Poseidon looked at her. _There is a newly opened entrance to Tartarus. It was supposed to be for me. But now, I think we've found a better use. _

The water carried Oceanus around, following the group of people walking to hole outside. It dumped Oceanus down unceremoniously at the edge of the pit.

I went over and stood next to the body. I peered down the pit and saw only blackness. I felt the familiar coldness creep over me as I gazed down into Tartarus.

I could the anger and hate seeping out of the hole. There were creatures down there so ancient, even the gods had never seen them.

Oceanus's eyes fluttered open. He still looked woozy, and I was sure that he was in no condition to stand up, let alone fight.

I leaned down over Oceanus. The rest of the demigods from Camp Half-Blood were gathered around behind me. Poseidon was next to me, staring down into the pit.

I looked into Oceanus eyes and spoke.

_My name is Percy Jackson. You tried to kill my father. Prepare to die. _

With that, I willed him to be pushed into the pit. Hopefully, never to be seen again. \

**I hope you all get that last reference. I've been waiting to put that in there FOREVER.**


	28. Chapter 28

**I have decided to try and make this entire story 30 chapters. It's a nice even number, so why not? **

**Thank you for everyone who has reviewed, favorited, etc. **

**Disclaimer: No. Just no. **

I looked up at Zeus. It had only been a few hours since we had defeated Oceanus, and he was already calling in a council. I think he liked these meetings a little too much.

"Perseus," Zeus began, but I cut him off. I had some questions of my own.

"Why the hell were you not down there helping us? We could have used a few extra gods! You should have been helping your brother!"

Lightning flashed in the distance, even though it was a bright and sunny day. "Careful how you speak to us, boy," Zeus warned. "Now as to why we didn't help Poseidon, there were some, uh," he shifted uncomfortably. "Technical difficulties."

Oh yeah. THAT sounded believable. I rolled my eyes, and Zeus suddenly looked defensive.

"Technically," he argued, "Oceanus wasn't attacking our home. So we had difficulty finding reason to stop him."

One of the lamest excuses ever heard from a god, but I wasn't expecting anything less.

To be honest, I have looked back and have been glad that none of the gods came to our aid. Heroes, left to their own devices, are often stronger than they can ever imagine.

Now, it was time to suck up to Zeus so he would forgive me for being… well, me.

I knelt down on one knee. "Lord Zeus,it was an honor to aid you once more in defeating the Titans."

He still looked a little angry, but I could guess why.

He sighed. "The heroes of the gods must be rewarded. Otherwise, we are no better than the Titans, who would use humans only for their benefit."

Athena stood up. The light in the throne room seemed to shine off of her as she gazed down at us.

"Annabeth Chase," she called.

Annabeth walked forward. If Athena had called me forward, I would have been scared out of my mind. She's very intimidating, but I guess being her daughter was a slight advantage when it came to picking favorites.

Athena looked at Annabeth. "Well, my daughter, it appears that Olympus once again owes you a debt of gratitude."

Annabeth nodded politely, but didn't say anything.

Athena continued. "Already you are the architect of Olympus, the unraveler of the secrets of Daedalus's ideas, and a savior of the gods. What more can the gods bestow upon a person?"

Annabeth looked puzzled, but remained silent.

"I have thought on this matter for a while, before you embarked on your quest, even. Your gift is not something tangible, nor is it for the ears of everyone at the council. When the council meeting has adjourned, you and I will speak in private."

Now I was confused. What could Athena possibly give Annabeth that no one else could hear? I was puzzled for a minute until Hermes stood up and called up Travis and Connor. I shook my head to focus and looked at the Stolls standing in front of their father.

Hermes didn't begin talking the way I had expected it. "Luke Castellan, another son of mine, helped the Titans rise to power. He deserted the gods and tried to destroy us. He died as a hero, but without him, it would have been much harder for the Titans to come to power."

He continued on a more positive note. "Today, my sons Travis and Connor have redeemed the children of Hermes. They have gone on a quest to save the gods and restore their names. When they were confronted with Oceanus, they managed to sneak into the palace. They freed Poseidon from his dark prison and brought him to the battle to defeat Oceanus and save his home!"

That had been Annabeth's plan all along. While we were distracting Oceanus, Travis and Connor would sneak into the palace and find Poseidon. They set him free as we fought and held off Oceanus. Who better to free Poseidon from prison than sons of Hermes?

Hermes kept on going. "My sons have made me proud today. For this reason, I gladly bestow upon them a gift that all sons of Hermes who have proven themselves should have."

He waved his hand and I saw two pairs of shoes appear in the air. These shoes looked very familiar. They were the exact same shoes that Luke had given me on my very first quest. Of course, I'm sure that these weren't cursed.

These shoes were incredible magical gifts. When someone shouted "Maia," they would sprout wings and allow the wearer to fly.

That was a pretty awesome gift. I saw a gleam in the Stolls' eyes as they reached out and gently plucked the floating shoes out of the air.

Poseidon stood up for the first time that day.

"My son, Percy Jackson."

I walked up and stood nervously before Poseidon. He smiled easily at me.

"Percy, once again, you have proven yourself a true hero of Olympus. You have led to rescue me and secure my domain. You have prevented the rise of a powerful Titan, and we owe you a debt of gratitude."

Zeus muttered something about not taking things to far, but Poseidon ignored him.

"We have offered you before the gift of immortality before, but you have turned it down. We beg of you to reconsider. You have exceeded every hero before you; you have prevented the uprising of Titans not once, but twice. You could be my lieutenant for eternity. You could be immortal, powerful, a god."

I looked over at Annabeth. She looked pale, but also like she was trying to guard her emotions. She looked like she had expected it.

I looked back at Travis and Connor. I had known them for years, but this quest really pushed them to a new level of respect for me.

When I really thought about it, it really wasn't a hard decision.

"No. I want to stay with my friends. I want to live life to the fullest, and that includes death. I'm grateful for the offer once again, but I'm afraid I have to refuse."

Poseidon smiled. I think he knew what I was going to say before I even responded.

"For what it's worth, I'm proud of you and what you've done."

Zeus banged his fist on his throne.

"You may have chosen to remain mortal, which does not surprise me, but I still have plans for you, Percy Jackson. Last time we offered you this great gift, you asked to accept powerful demigods and train them. I have thought about what you said. "

"You were right. Powerful demigods can be trained and used to help and work with the gods. As such, you could be a powerful weapon alongside the gods."

I wasn't sure where he was going with this.

"Um, Lord Zeus," I asked. "What exactly do you mean?"

Poseidon frowned at him. "Yes, brother. What exactly do you mean?"

Zeus ignored us both. He held his hand, which was beginning to glow white hot. The air smelled of ozone.

A bolt of energy shot down from his fist. The last thing I remember hearing was Poseidon, Annabeth, and Tyson yelling.

When the energy hit me, I could only feel pain. It felt like I had jumped into a bed of coals. Every part of my body was on fire.

Then, blackness.


	29. Chapter 29

**As promised, here is another chapter. There is one more after this and then the story is finished. **

**I already have an idea for a new story, and if you would like I will put the summary for the new story in the Author's Note for the last chapter. If you want me to do that, I need at least two reviews saying so. **

**I didn't mention this last chapter, but the feedback I got from the last two chapters has been phenomenal. Thank you very much for everyone who has reviewed, favorited, story alerted, etc. **

**Read, review, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I am who you say I am. **

I woke up in the infirmary in the Big House. There was a white bandage wrapped around my head. I pressed my hand to the bandage, trying to feel if I was injured in any way.

It felt like I had a bruise, but nothing else. I took the bandage off and looked around. Except for me, the room was empty.

I stood up. For a second, I felt woozy and the room wobbled, but then it corrected itself. I walked out on the porch. Chiron was standing there with his back turned to me, watching over the camp. It must have been early because no one was out yet.

"Percy, how do you feel?" Chiron asked, without turning around. I walked up so that I stood next to him.

"Fine," I admitted. "I don't feel any different than normal. Well, except for a bruise on my head."

"Ah yes," Chiron said. "You did hit the floor fairly hard when you fell. I wasn't there of course, but Annabeth gave me a total recap of your quest."

I guess it was a good thing the pain that Zeus had caused me had gotten me to black out before I hit the floor.

I shrugged. "Well other than that, I don't feel any different."

Chiron turned to look at me. He had a look on his face that I rarely saw: confusion. "Forget how you feel physically. Mentally, how do you feel? Stronger? More powerful? "

I shook my head. "No, I just feel like… me."

Chiron nodded his head. "You are not a god. I feared Zeus had made you immortal against your will, but you do not radiate power like a god. Nor do you have the internal energy that makes a god immortal, otherwise you would feel it in your body."

I sighed. "That's a relief."

He looked at me. "Is it? Don't you think it would be incredible to be a god?"

"I meant what I said. I wish to live a normal life and stay with my friends."

Chiron nodded again, like he was satisfied. "Hubris is a deadly sin, Percy. I am glad to see that have none of it. Fair warning, however. While making sure you do take too much pride in yourself, you must also take care not to underestimate yourself. It is a fine line to walk, but heroes must know where they stand."

As usual, I barely understood what Chiron was talking about. So I used one of my classic tactics. I changed the topic.

"Where is Annabeth?" I asked.

He smiled. "Sleeping, I would imagine. She was by your side every day that you were out though. You should be grateful you have a friend like her."

I grinned back. "Trust me, I am." Then his words struck me. 'Wait, every day that I was out? How long have I been unconscious for?"

"Five days," Chiron responded.

"Five days? Why was I out so long?" I asked.

"Percy, Zeus did not just do that to you in order to make you suffer. Make no mistake, energy and power take a long time to seep into the body of a mortal."

"Energy and power? But I though Zeus didn't turn me into a god?"

"He didn't. But that doesn't mean he did nothing to you. You are changed, Percy. I wonder how long it will take us to find out how." Chiron answered.

Just after he said that, a conch horn blew. It was time for breakfast.

"You said you're feeling fine," Chiron said. "So go to breakfast. See your friends again. But be warned, everyone has heard of what happened on Olympus. There will be rumors circulating. Many of these campers might believe that you are indeed a god."

"But I'm not! I'm just regular Percy."

"You and I know that, but they don't. Have fun at breakfast."

With that, he turned his back on me and walked inside the Big House.

I looked at the line of campers filing into the pavilion. I smiled.

It was good to be home.

I walked into the pavilion just after everyone had finished going in. When I walked by people, there were hushed whispers and stares.

Except for Annabeth. She ran up to me looking excited. I thought she was going to give me a hug, but instead she did something else. She punched me in the arm.

"Ouch," I said, rubbing my arm. "What was that for?"

"Five days, Seaweed Brain? I thought you were in a coma or something!" She hugged me. I guess I was half right about her running up to hug me.

"Sorry," I said. "Next time I'll ask Zeus to make me wake up sooner."

She suddenly looked serious. "About Zeus… what happened? Do you feel okay?"

"We need to talk," I said. "Breakfast on the beach?"

We walked down to the ocean together with our food. We sat down and I began to tell Annabeth what Chiron had told me. I began with the basics.

"I am not a god. I don't know what other people have been saying, but Chiron is positive that I'm still mortal."

Annabeth looked relieved, and I couldn't blame her.

"But Zeus did change something. We don't know what, exactly, but the reason that I was out so long is that the energy and power Zeus hit me with was- how did Chiron phrase it?- seeping into me."

"So you're different. You're more powerful now."

"Yes," I admitted. "But we don't know in what way. For now, I'm just the same old Percy."

She smiled. "Good. I liked him."

Then suddenly she stood up. "Oh my gods, Percy!"

"What?" I asked.

She didn't respond. She pulled out her knife instead, which wasn't very reassuring. "Give me your hand," she said. Also not very reassuring.

Still, this was Annabeth. I trusted her. I gave her my hand. She took it in her left hand and held it up to her face. Then, she took her knife and pricked my middle finger. A single drop of blood rolled out of the wound.

I was shocked. The curse of Achilles should have prevented the knife from cutting me.

"Zeus must have taken away the curse of Achilles," Annabeth said. "I thought he was trying to make you more powerful, though."

My mind was still spinning. "He was," I managed. "This can't be all that he's done. How did you know?"

"The bruise that you got on your head. Usually, your skin is like iron when someone or something tries to hurt you. Of course, I could have been wrong, so I had to check."

I felt like I was burning up. No one can truly understand the feeling of being nearly invincible and then having it taken away from you. I wasn't angry or sad, but it was still a shock.

Annabeth gasped and stared down at my hands. "Percy…"

I looked down at my hands. I was literally burning up. My hands were on fire, but it wasn't hurting. It felt warm and like my hands had pins and needles, but it didn't hurt.

"I'm fine," I told Annabeth. "It doesn't hurt."

She looked almost nervous. "At least we know some of what Zeus did to you. I wonder what else he did."

I stared down at my still burning hands. "Yeah," I said. "I wonder."

I closed my hand into a fist, extinguishing the flame. "I have a feeling we will find out soon enough."


	30. Chapter 30

**Well, we've finally done it. We've reached the ending. Not the strongest one in the world, I'll admit, but I do like some of the dialogue. **

**Seriously, thank you so much to anyone and everyone who reviewed. I know at the beginning I said that I would try and finish no matter how many reviews I got, but I honestly doubt I would have finished if it wasn't for you guys. **

**Also a quick thank you to everyone who favorite, story alerted, etc. You guys helped me so much. And even to those people who just came to read, I appreciate you sticking with me. **

**Thank you all so much. **

**Unfortunately, I did NOT get two reviews asking for me to give the summary of my next story, so I cannot reveal it (I will note that it is not a sequel though- I haven't decided if I'm going to do one yet). **

**Do expect to see a new story from me within the next week, because I already have what I think is a good idea for one. When that is posted, it would be great if you guys could review that one and tell me what you think.**

**Disclaimer: Seriously? You're still checking to see if maybe, just maybe, this has changed since the last time? Possibly I morphed into RR? **

Half-Blood dreams suck.

That night I dreamed I was back on Olympus. The throne room was empty except for my father and Zeus. And they were talking about me.

"What did you do to him brother?" Poseidon asked Zeus. He sounded angry, but like he was trying to control himself. He didn't want the situation to elevate into something much worse.

"I merely made him more valuable to us." Zeus responded. "He now has powers beyond his wildest dreams. You should be thanking me!"

"You took away the curse of Achilles," Poseidon noted. "Why? Wouldn't that make him more powerful?"

"I never liked that curse," Zeus muttered. "Heroes are mortals. They should be able to be injured. Pain, injury, death. Those are their weaknesses, but also their strengths. They are what make a hero a hero. I simply wished that your son was more mortal."

Poseidon voice rose in anger as he spoke. "You have made him a tool of the gods."

Zeus's voice was deadly calm. "That is all heroes ever are."

Poseidon slammed him fist on his throne. "He is a person! He belongs to himself, not to us."

"Twice he has protected Olympus," Zeus said. "I am not proud to admit it, but without him I fear we would not have succeeded. I can do nothing about the fact that he refuses to be immortal, but I can make sure he is ready to help us again. He was a powerful hero, and now he is more powerful. We are weaker than we once were, but heroes like him help us retain our power."

"He is my son, brother." Poseidon said. "I would not have you use him."

"I have never used him until now. I did not wish that he helped us, but he did anyway. It is his wish to aid the gods! I simply helped his fulfill his wish."

I felt the ocean, miles and miles below us, begin to stir. "He aided us because of his loyalty to his family. THAT is why he is a great hero. He remains loyal to the people he cares about." Poseidon responded.

"Then the next time we need him to be loyal, I have given him gifts to help him." Zeus said.

Poseidon slumped back in his throne. He looked like he didn't like it, but he was willing to accept what Zeus had done. "What gifts did you bestow upon him, brother?"

"I don't know," Zeus admitted. "I gave him power. How his body chooses to use it is not up to me. From watching him, we already know that he has some control over fire."

"Fire and water," Poseidon mused. "A powerful combination. I do not like what have you have done, but there is nothing I can do about it. And it could prove to be useful."

Poseidon stood up to leave. "Be warned though. He is not a tool to be used by the gods. Forget that, and you shall suffer."

Zeus stood up also. Thunder rumbled behind him. "Is that a threat?"

"Not a threat," Poseidon responded. "A promise."

Thunder rumbled again and I woke up with a start. It was still dark outside.

I still wasn't sure how I felt about what Zeus had done. It was kind of cool to be able to control fire, but it was scary at the same time. I didn't know exactly what I could do. What if I ended up hurting myself?

Also, the way Zeus talked about me was annoying. Using humans as tools and entertainment was something that Titans did, not gods. But still, he was right. I did want to help protect the gods.

I decided to have the same attitude as Poseidon. I didn't like what Zeus had done, but I accepted it and would use it.

I looked outside. The sun was coming up fast.

Later on in the day, I told Annabeth about what happened in my dream.

"Zeus is using me," I said. "He gave me these powers for his own benefit. He wants me to have these powers to help the gods."

Annabeth sighed. "Percy, it doesn't matter what Zeus gave you those powers for. The only thing that matter is what you use them for."

"But if I use them to help defend Olympus if it's attacked again, doesn't that make it the same thing?"

"No." Annabeth said firmly. "If you didn't have those powers, would you defend Olympus?"

"Well, yes." I responded.

"Then you're doing it because you want to. You're not blindly following the gods, you're making your own choices and decisions based on your wishes. Percy, you're defiant, impertinent, stubborn, even to the point of stupidity at times. There's no way anyone -even a god- can force you do something that you don't want to."

"And how do you know that?" I asked.

"Do you remember that my mom said she wanted to talk to me after the council on Olympus?"

I didn't see how that was related, but I nodded. "I remember."

"After the council, I went and talked to her. She told me the one thing she could give was her blessing to be with you. She's fine with us being in a relationship. And Percy? Her rivalry with Poseidon is huge. If you can convince Athena to be okay with us after all the times she told you to stop, then I know you will never let a god tell you what to do."

I smiled. "So you're mom's actually okay with us being together?"

Annabeth smiled back. "Well, I wouldn't say okay with it, but she's willing to accept it."

"There seems to be a lot of that going on."

Annabeth leaned in and kissed me.

"So, Percy. What are you going to do now that you have all this power?"

I leaned back. "I'm going to relax and enjoy the summer. At least until the gods need me again."

**There it is. What did you guys think of the story?**


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